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CHARLES  JOSSEl, YN 
SAN  FHANCISCO 


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Charles  Josselyn 


THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 


BOOKS  BY  DR.  SADLER 


THE  CAUSE  AND  CURE  OF  COLDS 

With  many  drawings.     8vo.     .     $1.00  net. 

THE  SCIENCE  OF  UVING;  or.  The  Art 

OF   Keeping    Well.      With   Appendix  and 
Index  and  many  drawings.    8vo.  $1.50  net. 

THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND 
FEAR;  OR,  The  Mind  in  Health  and 
Disease.  With  Appendix  and  Index  and 
many  drawings.      8vo.      .       .     $i*^0  ft^t' 


A.  C.  McCLURG  &  CO.,  Publishers 
CHICAGO 


THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF 
FAITH  AND  FEAR 

OR 
THE  MIND  IN  HEALTH  AND  DISEASE 

BY 

WILLIAM  S.  SADLER,  M.  D. 

PROFESSOR  OF  PHYSIOLOGIC  THERAPEUTICS.  THE  POSTGRADUATE  MEDICAL 
SCHOOL    OF    CHICAGO;  DIRECTOR     OF    THE   CHICAGO    INSTITUTE   OF 
PHYSIOLOGIC  THERAPEUTICS;  MEMBER  OF  THE  ILLINOIS  STATE 
MEDICAL  society;  THE  AMERICAN  MEDICAL  ASSOCIA- 
TION; THE  AMERICAN  ASSOCIATION   FOR  THE 
ADVANCEMENT  OF  SCIENCE,  ETC..  ETC 

AUTHOR    OF   "the   SCIENCE    OF    LIVING.    OR,   THE    ART   OF  KEEPING    WELL,'* 
*'  THE  CAUSE  AND  CURE  OF  COLDS,"  ETC. 

ILLUSTRATED 


CHICAGO 
C.    McCLURG   &   CO. 

1912 


S3 

SBRA« 

Copyright 
A.  C,  McCLURG  (S  CO. 

1911 

1912 

Published  February, 

Entered  at  Stationers'  Hall,  London,  England 


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v..-vv-'^.»^.  ♦-•  ^-^  '     -«t. 


97.  %rx\\  Printing  Olnmiianit 
(Sffirago 


TO 
ALL    WHO    worry; 
TO    THE    VICTIMS    OF    FEAR, 
MORAL    DESPAIR,    AND  OTHER    MENTAL    MALADIES; 
TO    THOSE    WHO    ARE    SEEKING   TO    KNOW    THE   TRUTH    CONCERNING 
THE    POWER    OF    MIND    OVER    MATTER;     AND    ALSO    TO 
THOSE    MENTAL   SUFFERERS    WHO    HAVE    BEEN 
DECEIVED    AND    DELUDED    BY    FALSE 
SYSTEMS    OF    MENTAL    HEALING; 
THIS    BOOK    IS    AFFECTION- 
ATELY  DEDICATED. 


ei5847 


PREFACE 

IN  recent  years  we  have  been  literally  deluged  with  liter- 
ature on  "  Suggestion,"  "  Mental  Healing,"  "  Hypnotism," 
"  Psychotherapy,"  psychic  fads,  and  various  healing  "  isms," 
not  to  mention  "  New  Thought,"  "  Christian  Science,"  and 
other  systems  of  religious  teaching.  It  would  seem  as  if  doc^ 
tor,  preacher,  and  layman  were  now  vying  with  one  another  in 
an  effort  to  atone  for  their  past  indifference  to,  and  neglect  of, 
the  important  subjects.  Mental  Healing  and  Moral  Thera- 
peutics. 

We  are  now  passing  through  a  period  of  popular  reaction 
against  the  scientific  materialism  of  the  last  century.  The 
common  people  are  awaking  to  the  fact  that  the  mental  state 
has  much  to  do  with  bodily  health  and  disease.  The  book- 
makers, in  their  efforts  to  satisfy  the  universal  demand  for 
teaching  on  various  phases  of  mental  healing,  have  flooded 
us  with  literature,  much  of  which  is  premature,  unscientific, 
incomplete,  and  highly  disastrous  in  its  misleading  influence 
upon  the  popular  mind  and  morals. 

It  is  to  be  deplored  that  practically  every  system  of  modern 
mental  healing  has  declared  as  the  secret  of  its  success  its 
association  with  some  creed  or  cult  —  claiming  that  physical 
healing  was  dependent  upon  the  acceptance  of  some  particular 
moral  teaching  or  system  of  religious  belief.  At  the  very 
outset  we  desire  to  separate  the  study  of  mental  healing  from 
any  and  all  particular  brands  of  religion  —  not  from  religion 
as  a  state  of  mind,  but  from  any  particular  system,  sect,  or 
form  of  religious  belief. 

We  approach  the  subject  of  mental  healing  from  the  stand- 
point of  the  physician  —  the  physiologist.  We  examine  all 
claims  and  apparent  cures  from  the  standpoint  of  actual  exper- 
iments,   clinical    observations,    and    laboratory    investigations 

vii 


viii  PREFACE 

which  the  author  and  numerous  others  have  crrried  on  for  the 
purpose  of  discovering  the  real  facts  respecting  the  effect  of  the 
various  mental  states  on  the  human  body.  In  other  words, 
how  does  the  state  of  mind  affect  the  bodily  functions  in  health 
and  disease  ?  This  story  will  be  told  in  everyday  English  — 
divested  of  all  scientific  technicalities  and  laboratory  termi- 
nology. The  practical  results  of  this  highly  technical  work 
will  be  given  in  such  simple  language  that  a  schoolboy  may 
fully  understand  the  narrative  and  comprehend  the  conclu- 
sions. 

The  author  was  long  since  convinced  of  the  existence  of 
certain  universal  laws  of  psychology  and  physiology  which 
would  serve  fully  to  explain  the  vast  majority  of  supposed  mys- 
terious and  many  of  the  so-called  miraculous  cases  of  recovery 
from  disease.  The  application  of  the  precise  methods  of 
modern  science  in  the  physiological  and  psychological  labora- 
tories has  resulted  in  developing,  step  by  step,  the  physiological 
basis  which  makes  plain  the  working  of  this  universal  law  of 
mental  healing.  This  volume  is  devoted  to  telling  the  story  of 
the  laws  of  moral  medicine  and  mental  therapeutics  —  the' 
Physiology  of  Faith  and  Fear. 

Although  it  is  found  necessary  in  the  discussion  of  this  sub- 
ject, frequently  to  refer  to  religion  and  so-called  divine  healing, 
we  desire  to  make  it  plain  that  we  are  not  here  considering 
the  validity  or  authenticity  of  so-called  genuine  miraculous 
acts,  whether  of  Biblical  or  subsequent  occurrence.  We  dis- 
claim all  intention  to  discuss  the  question  of  miracles  from 
any  possible  standpoint.  We  only  desire  to  discuss  mental 
healing  as  effected  by  certain  mental  and  physical  laws,  discov- 
erable by  clinical  observation  and  laboratory  experimentation. 
In  no  sense  do  we  undertake  the  consideration  of  supernatural 
occurrences  or  so-called  divine  acts  in  connection  with  the 
restoration  of  health  or  the  healing  of  disease. 

In  the  preparation  of  this  volume,  the  author  has  made 
careful  research  in  the  literature  touching  on  every  phase  of 
the  many  subjects  considered.  For  this  purpose  he  has  had 
recourse  not  only  to  his  own  library,  but  to  the  various  libraries 
of  Chicago  and  the  great  Congressional  Library  at  Washington, 


PREFACE  ix 

D.  C.  In  a  work  of  this  kind,  designed  for  laymen,  and  where 
brevity  is  so  essential,  direct  quotations  have  been  avoided, 
although  the  leading  authorities  in  physiology  and  psychology 
have  been  drawn  upon  for  material  in  the  preparation  of  this 
work  and  the  various  lectures  which  preceded  it. 

We  desire  not  only  to  call  attention  to  the  power  of  the  mind 
over  the  body,  but  also  to  point  out  the  equally  neglected  truth 
of  the  vast  influence  of  the  body  over  the  mind;  more  par- 
ticularly the  influence  of  the  diseased  or  disordered  physical 
body  on  the  mental  state  and  the  moral  tendencies. 

The  practising  physician  is  compelled  to  recognize  that  in 
many  instances  it  is  the  disordered  physical  health  which  is 
to  blame  for  the  depressed  mental  state;  and  so  the  vicious 
circle  widens  —  disorders  of  either  mind  or  body  react  the  one 
upon  the  other,  each  ever  tending  to  make  the  other  worse,  until 
such  a  time  as  the  body  recovers  its  equilibrium  of  health,  or 
the  mind  regains  its  lost  mastery  of  the  feelings  and  emotions. 

This  work  is  based  largely  upon  the  author's  lectures  on 
psychotherapy  delivered  in  connection  with  his  clinic  at  the 
Post-Graduate  Medical  School  of  Chicago,  while  much  of  the 
material  is  drawn  from  his  Chautauqua  lectures,  "Worry  and 
its  Mental  Cousins,"  "The  Psychology  of  Faith  and  Fear," 
"  The  Physiology  of  Faith  and  Fear,"  "  The  Bible  on  Faith  and 
Fear,"  "  The  Humbugs  of  Healing,"  and  "  The  Moral  Man- 
agement of  Mental  Maladies." 

It  is  evident  that  the  common  people  are  becoming  terribly 
confused  in  their  efforts  to  ascertain  the  truth  about  mental 
healing,  and  it  was  with  the  hope  of  providing  a  guide-book  of 
reliable  principles,  trustworthy  observations,  and  scientific  con- 
clusions, that  we  began  the  work  of  collecting  and  arranging 
the  data;  of  classifying  observations  and  experiences;  and  of 
further  conducting  the  necessary  experiments,  which  have  re- 
sulted in  the  formation  of  the  final  conclusions  herein 
expressed. 

The  author  disclaims  all  pretensions  of  being  a  psychologist ; 
but  it  was  not  possible  to  approach  the  physiological  discus- 
sions of  mental  healing  without  some  preliminary  psychologic 
considerations.     He  has  endeavored  to  remain  within  the  field 


X  PREFACE 

of  physiological  psychology,  and  this  may  explain  the  apparent 
incompleteness  which  may  be  observed  in  certain  sections. 

The  author  desires  to  acknowledge  his  indebtedness  to  Prof. 
Robert  H.  Gault,  Ph.  D.,  of  Northwestern  University,  for  his 
painstaking  examination  of  those  chapters  dealing  with  the 
psychological  phase  of  our  subject,  and  for  his  many  helpful 
suggestions  and  valuable  criticisms.  He  is  also  greatly  indebted 
to  Prof.  Winfield  S.  Hall,  A.  M.,  Ph.  D.,  M.  D.,  head  of  the  De- 
partment of  Physiology  in  the  Northwestern  University  Med- 
ical School,  for  his  careful  review  of  the  chapters  dealing 
especially  with  the  physiological  aspects  of  faith  and  fear,  and 
for  numerous  other  valuable  suggestions. 

It  should  not  be  supposed  that  we  recognize  only  mental 
causes  for  the  many  physical  ailments  dealt  with.  We  freely 
grant  that  numerous  influences  outside  of  the  psychic  realm 
are  capable  of  producing  disease,  but  it  is  not  possible  herein 
fully  to  discuss  all  the  manifold  causes  of  disease,  and  this 
work  is  devoted  to  the  consideration  of  the  mind  in  health  and 
disease.  We  also  recognize  that  psychotherapy  is  not  the 
only  mode  of  treating  human  ailments.  Psychic  influences  in 
the  cause,  cure,  and  prevention  of  disease  are  emphasized 
in  this  work  because  they  have  been  neglected  and  belittled  in  the 
past,  and  not  for  the  purpose  of  creating  an  exclusive  system 
for  their  use. 

Our  one  purpose  is  to  tell  the  story  of  how  the  mind  affects 
the  body  and  its  various  functions  in  health  and  disease;  how 
the  fundamental  mental  states  of  faith  and  fear  make  for  or 
against  health.  H  we  shall  be  able  to  convince  the  reader  that 
fear  is  a  generator  of  mental  poisons,  and  worry  a  corroding 
canker  —  ever  tending  to  destroy  the  mind  and  produce  disease ; 
if  we  have  succeeded  in  glorifying  faith  and  its  moral  attributes 
as  the  mental  emancipator  from  the  bondage  of  doubt  and 
mind  disease  —  this  volume  will  have  met  fully  the  most  san- 
guine expectations  of  the  author! 

William  S.   Sadler. 
32  N.  State  Street,  Chicago 
January  i,  IQ12. 


CONTENTS 


Introduction 


CHAPTER 

I 

II 
III 

IV 
V 

VI 

VII 
VIII 

IX 
X 


Part  I  —  Psychologic  Section 


PAGE 

xvii 


^^/^i^  'W 


Mind   and   Matter 

Brain,  Mind,  and  Personality  . 

How  the  Mind  is  Influenced  by  Bodily  States 

Psychology  —  How  We  Think 

Key  to  Diagram  of  Psychology 

The  Supreme  Court  of  the  Mind 

Phases  of  Consciousness 

Superstition  as  Related  to  Health  and  Disease 

The  Psychology  of  Faith  and  Fear 

Faith  the  Master  Key  to  Mental  Medicine 


3 

15 
21 

35 
52 
S6 
64 

78 

92 

106 


Part  II  —  Physiologic  Section 

XI    How  the  Emotions  Affect  the  Heart     .        -113 
XII     Influence  of  the  Mind  upon  the  Circulatory 

System 122 

XIII  The  Blood-Pressure  as  Modified  by  Psychic 

Influences 131 

XIV  Influence  of  the  Mental  State  upon  the  Vital 

Resistance 143 

XV    The  Mind  as  Concerned  in  the  Action  of  the 

Secretory  Glands 153 

XVI    The  Mental  Influences  Concerned  in  Diges- 
tion         161 

XVII     The  Psychic  Factor  in  Nutrition  and  Metab- 
olism       173 

XVIII    The  Influence  of  the  Mind  on  Respiration    .    186 


TX 


xn 


CONTENTS 


XIX 
XX 

XXI 

XXII 

XXIII 


XXIV 

XXV 

XXVI 

XXVII 
XXVIII 

XXIX 

XXX 

XXXI 

XXXII 

XXXIII 

XXXIV 

XXXV 

XXXVI 

XXXVII 

XXXVIII 

XXXIX 

XL 


How  the  Mental  State  Affects  the  Muscles  .  198 
The  Influence  of  the  Mind  on  the  Skin  and 

the  Heat-Regulating  Mechanism  209 
The  Effect  of   the   Mental   State   upon   the 

Physical  Brain 220 

The  Effect  of  the  Mind  and  the  Emotions  on 

the  Nervous  System 229 

The  Influence  of  the  Mental   State  on  the 

Behavior  of  the  Special  Senses  .        .        .  241 

Part  III  —  Therapeutic  Section 

The  Dawn  of  Scientific  Healing    .  253 
Psycho-Prophylaxis,  or  Mental  Hygiene  266 
The  Psychic  Element  in  Heredity  and  En- 
vironment     .        .     ' 276 

The  Psychology  of  Disease  .  .  .  .  289 
The  Psychic  Element  in  the  Cause  and  Cure 

of  Disease 300 

Mental  Medicine  and  Moral  Hygiene  .  .311 
The  Bible  on  Faith  and  Fear        .        .        .321 

The  Physiology  and  Psychology  of  Habit    .  338 

The  Nature  and  Cause  of  Worry  .        .        .  349 

The  Cure  of  Worry 371 

Nervousness  and  Relaxation  ....  387 

The  Principles  of  Modern  Psychotherapy      .  405 

The  Science  of  Suggestion     ....  427 

The  Reeducation  of  the  Will  ....  443 

Psychic  Fads  and  Fakes 457 

Prayer  the  Master  Mind  Cure      .        .        .  476 

The  Emancipated  Life  .  .  .  .  493 
Appendix  A:    Anatomy  and   Physiology  of 

the  Brain  and  Nervous  System  .  .  .  505 
Appendix    B:     A    Case    of    Chronological 

Memory 518 

Appendix  C:     Multiple  Personality        .        .  524 

Index 535 


LIST  OF  PLATES 

FIGURE  PAGE 

I     Special   Brain   Centres xviii 

"  ^      '  XX 

4 
24 


2  Diagram  Showing  Different  Nerve  Paths 

3  The  Nervous  System  and  the  Nerves      .        .  - 

4  Energy  Granules  of  Nerve  Cells 

5  Diagram    Showing   the   Fibrillar   Network   of  the 

Nerve  Cells 24 

7  A  Cretin  Child 32 

8  Diagrams  Illustrating  Optical  Illusions  ...      38 

9  Diagram  of  Psychology,  Illustrating  the  Action  of 

the  Mind  in  the  Elaboration  of  Thought      .         .       50 

10  Diagram  Illustrating  Phases  of  Consciousness  .        .      66 

11  Diagram  Illustrating  the  Central  and  the  Marginal 

Consciousnesses        . 68 

12  Diagram    Illustrating   the   Three    Planes   of    Con- 

sciousness—  Conscience,  Reason,  and  Instinct    .      70 

13  Diagram  Showing  the  Relation  of  the  Physical  In- 

stincts and  the  Spiritual  Emotions  to  the  Intellec- 
tual Consciousness,  Also  a  Comparison  of  the 
Central  and  the  Marginal  Consciousnesses  .        .      ^2 

14  The  Relation  of  the  Parts  of  the  Human  Body  to 

the  Signs  of  the  Zodiac 86 

15  Diagram  Showing  Ancient  and  Modern  Faith  Gen- 

erators and  Fear  Destroyers         ....     100 

16  Balancing  Experiment:     Subject  Executing  Prob- 

lems in  Mental  Arithmetic 126 

17  Balancing  Experiment:    Subject  Thinking  Intently 

and  Continuously  of  the  Feet       ....     126 

18  Normal  Pulse  of  the  "  Faith  Heart "      .        .        .128 

19  Pulse  Tracing  of  the  "  Fear  Heart "  .        .        .        .128 

20  The  Heart  and  Circulation  of  the  Blood  .        .        .    132 

xiii 


xiv  LIST  OF  PLATES 

21  The   Muscles   Concerned   in    Swallowing   and   the 

Taste  Buds 154 

22  Diagram  Illustrating  the  Pawlow  Stomach      .        .166 

23  Graphic  Tracing  of  .the  Respiratory  Curve     .        .  196 

24  A  Modern  Physiological  Laboratory  for  Investiga- 

ting Disease 0        .  260 

25  A  Modern  Psychological  Laboratory  for  the  Study 

of  the  Mind 260 

26  Diagrams  Illustrating  Right  and  Wrong  Breathing  272 

27  An  Ancient  Physician-Priest 312 

30  Woman  with  a  Spirit  of  Infirmity  ....  326 

28  Common  Motor  Obsessions        .....  342 

29  A  Chronic  Kicker 354 

31  Vacations  Destroy  Worry 380 

32  Right  and  Wrong  Ways  to  Ride  on  the  Train  .         .  400 

33  The  Work  Cure  for  Neurasthenia    ....  422 

34  The  Study  Cure  for  Nervous  Disorders  .        .        .  422 

35  Suggestive  Panic 430 

36  Will  Power  and  Character 452 

37  Charms,  Relics,  and  Shrines 458 

38  Astrology  and  Palmistry 458 

39  A  Phrenological  Chart  of  Human  Destiny      .        .  460 

40  Crystal  Gazing  and  Shell  Hearing     ....  462 

41  Trance  and  Catalepsy 462 

42  The  Practice  of  Old-Fashioned  Prayer  .        .        .  478 

43  Right  and  Wrong  Social  Tendencies       .        .        .  494 
6  The  Sympathetic  Nervous  System     .        .        .        .513 


[     THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 


INTRODUCTION 

The  human  brain. —  The  nervous  reflexes. —  The  volun- 
tary NERVOUS  SYSTEM. —  ThE  SYMPATHETIC  NERVOUS  SYSTEM. 

—  The  physical  basis  of  thought. 

THE  brain  and  nervous  system  represent  the  highest 
physical  development  of  the  material  body.  The  nervous 
system  is  the  instrumentality  by  which  mind  influences  matter, 
and  through  which  matter  impresses  mind.  The  brain  is  not 
only  the  citadel  of  the  will,  reason,  judgment,  and  choice,  but 
it  is  also  the  sanctuary  of  the  soul  —  of  the  moral  nature.  It  is 
the  abiding  place  of  conscience,  and  the  home  of  the  spiritual 
emotions. 

the    HUMAN    BRAIN 

It  is  highly  essential  in  the  study  of  mental  hygiene,  that 
one  should  have  a  practical  knowledge  of  the  form  and  func- 
tion of  the  brain  and  nervous  system.  The  human  brain 
consists  of  three  parts:  the  cerebrum  or  fore  brain,  the 
cerebellum  or  hind  brain,  and  the  medulla  oblongata.  The 
brain  substance  consists  of  the  cell  bodies  of  untold  thousands 
of  little  nerve  cells  with  their  numerous  nerve  processes 
or  fibres. 

The  motor  centres  are  found  on  the  outside  and  superficial 
portions  near  the  middle  of  the  brain,  while  the  intellectual 
centres  are  over  to  the  front.  There  are  well-defined  special 
brain  centres  for  writing,  seeing,  hearing,  walking,  talking, 
etc.  (See  Fig.  i.)  The  nerves  passing  to  and  from  the  brain 
are  either  sensory  or  motor. 

The  basal  ganglia  at  the  base  of  the  brain  have  to  do  with 
the  regulation  of  many  special  functions.  They  serve  as  sort 
of  middlemen,  or  private  secretaries,  to  the  brain  centres. 
When  certain  physical  acts,  such  as  walking  or  writing,  are 

xvii 


xviii  '         .    '   ■    INTRODUCTION 

frequently  performed,  the  basal  ganglia  acquire  the  ability  to 
carry  on  these  habitual  movements  without  taxing  the  higher 
brain  centres,  it  being  only  necessary  to  start  the  process  by 
orders  from  the  mind. 

For  a  more  complete  and  detailed  consideration  of  the 
anatomy  and  physiology  of  the  brain  and  nervous  system,  the 
reader  is  referred  to  Appendix  A. 

THE    NERVOUS    REFLEXES 

The  spinal  cord  is  really  a  downward  continuation  of  the 
medulla.  It  gives  out  thirty-one  pairs  of  nerves,  which  contain 
both  sensory  and  motor  fibres.  Each  spinal  nerve  has  two 
roots  —  the  anterior  or  motor,  and  the  posterior  or  sensory. 
The  spinal  ganglion  is  located  on  the  posterior  root,  and  is  a 
sort  of  relay  station. 

The  twelve  cranial  nerves  are  largely  concerned  with  the 
special  senses,  except  the  tenth,  or  pneumogastric  (vagus). 
which  is  the  most  widely  distributed  and  most  influential  nerve 
in  the  body. 

Reflex  action  is  the  short-cut  passage  of  nerve  impulses 
through  the  spine  or  the  medulla,  whereby  sensations  provoke 
motor  responses  without  the  action  or  knowledge  of  the  higher 
conscious  brain  centres. 

This  explains  how  we  can  close  the  eye  without  thinking, 
and  why  we  cough  to  remove  mucus  from  the  throat,  sneeze  to 
throw  irritating  substances  out  of  the  nose,  and  vomit  to  empty 
the  stomach  when  nauseated. 

Nerve  impressions  from  the  skin  or  other  organs  of  special 
sensation  (See  diagram  —  Fig.  2.)  may  excite  a  muscle  or 
group  of  muscles  to  action  in  different  ways.  The  sensory 
impulses  may  pass  up  the  spinal  cord  to  the  conscious  sensory 
centres  of  the  cerebrum  over  the  long  circuit,  and  excite  to 
action  the  conscious  motor  centres  of  the  upper  brain. 

The  majority  of  common  and  habitual  nerve  impressions  do 
not  travel  this  long  circuit,  they  go  by  the  automatic  or  short 
circuit  to  the  basal  ganglia,  where  they  are  received,  and  set 
in  motion  the  motor  nerves  going  down  from  the  brain  to  the 
muscles,  just  as  effectually  as  if  the  impulses  had  been  carried 
to  the  conscious  brain  centres. 


ASDOMEN 


SHOULDER 
EL80V/ 


FIG.    I. 

SPECIAL   BRAIN  CENTRES 


INTRODUCTION  xix 

Again,  we  possess  certain  natural  reflexes,  reflexes  associated 
with  breathing,  the  circulation,  etc.,  whose  sensory  impulses 
are  transferred  to  the  motor  nerves  in  the  medulla.  The 
cerebellum  contains  reflex  centres  which  regulate  posture  and 
equilibrium. 

Lastly,  we  have  the  involuntary  spinal  reflex  centres  pre- 
viously mentioned.  A  study  of  the  diagram  (Fig.  2.)  will 
make  these  various  nerve  paths  perfectly  plain.  (A  more 
complete  consideration  of  this  diagram  will  be  found  under  the 
head  "Reflex  Action,"  in  Appendix  A.) 

THE   VOLUNTARY    NERVOUS    SYSTEM 

The  nervous  system  is  in  reality  a  continuation  or  extension 
of  the  brain  and  spinal  cord,  and  is  composed  of  individual 
units  or  neurons.  The  neuron  consists  of  a  cell  body  and  its 
processes  or  branches.  Every  neuron  possesses  one  branch 
for  transmitting  outgoing  impulses.  This  branch  is  called  the 
axone,  neuraxone,  or  neurite.  Most  neurons  possess  one  or 
more  branches  which  bring  afferent  impulses  toward  the  cell 
body.  These  afferent  branches  are  called  dendrites.  Sensory 
impressions  received  by  the  sensory  nerve-endings  in  the  skin 
are  transmitted  over  afferent  fibres  to  the  cells  in  the  posterior 
root  ganglion  of  the  spinal  cord;  thence  by  way  of  the  axonic 
branch  into  the  spinal  cord,  where  they  may  be  transmitted 
either  to  a  spinal  motor  neuron  to  form  the  reflex  arc,  or 
transmitted  through  sensory  tracts  to  the  sensory  centres  of 
the  brain.     (See  Fig.  3.) 

The  nerves  transmit  impulses  by  means  of  neuricity  —  an 
energy  resembling  electricity.  Nerves  do  not  transmit 
messages  as  a  dead  wire  does  electricity.  Time  is  required  for 
the  cell  to  receive  and  despatch  impulses. 

Energy  granules  appear  in  the  rested  neuron,  but  gradually 
disappear  when  the  nerve  is  made  to  do  work.  These  energy 
granules  are  thought  by  some  to  be  chemical  in  nature,  but 
they  are  probably  electrical.     (See  Fig.  4.) 

It  would  seem  that  the  nerve  cells  during  rest  and  sleep 
actually  accumulate  energy,  and  these  little,  sand-like  granules 
might  fittingly  be  compared  to  a  minute  storage  battery  or  to  a 
chemical  powder,  the  explosion  of  which  generates  waves  of 


XX  INTRODUCTION 

nerve  or  electrical  energy,  which  flash  over  its  branches  carry- 
ing the  messages  which  the  thinking  part  of  the  cell  originates ; 
for  each  little  cell  body  must  be  regarded  as  a  small  brain. 

The  fibril  network  of  the  cell  is  thought  to  be  the  cell's 
nervous  system.  (See  Fig.  5.)  The  larger  brain  of  the  skull, 
and  the  great  solar  plexus  of  the  abdomen,  are  merely  vast 
collections  of  untold  millions  of  these  tiny  nerve  cells  or  brain 
bodies.  (Additional  data  regarding  the  physiology  and 
anatomy  of  the  nervous  system  will  be  found  in  Appendix  A.) 

THE   SYMPATHETIC   NERVOUS   SYSTEM 

While  the  nerves  coming  from  the  brain  and  spinal  cord  are 
more  largely  concerned  with  the  body's  sensations,  muscular 
movements,  and  voluntary  acts,  all  the  vital  processes  of  the 
body  including  breathing,  the  circulation  of  the  blood, 
digestion,  and  elimination,  are  regulated  very  largely  by  the 
involuntary  or  sympathetic  nervous  system. 

The  sympathetic  nervous  system  does  not  directly  enter  the 
skull,  but  controls  all  vital  and  involuntary  functions.  Special 
collections  of  sympathetic  nerve  matter  —  ganglia  —  are  found 
throughout  the  body,  the  chief  one  being  the  solar  plexus  or 
abdominal  brain. 

The  sympathetic  system  never  sleeps;  it  is  the  never-tiring 
supervisor  of  all  vital  work,  and  the  ever-present  safeguard 
against  brain-storm  and  mental  panic.  It  directs  the  functions 
of  the  heart,  the  blood  vessels,  lungs,  stomach,  liver,  spleen, 
kidneys,  bowels,  and  other  organs. 

It  is  apparent  that  man  has  two  brains  —  two  nervous 
systems,  two  sources  from  which  come  orders  of  regulation 
and  control.  One  can  stop  breathing  for  a  few  seconds,  but  as 
soon  as  enough  carbonic  acid  gas  (CO2)  collects  in  the  blood, 
the  respiratory  centres  are  excited;  imperative  orders  to 
breathe  are  sent  to  the  lungs,  and  you  can  no  longer  hold  your 
breath. 

The  solar  plexus  is  the  greatest  collection  of  nerve  matter 
to  be  found  in  the  body  outside  of  the  skull.  It  consists  of 
an  extensive  network  of  nerves  and  ganglia,  and  is  found 
deep-seated  in  the  abdomen  in  the  region  of  the  lower  border 
of  the  stomach.    It  receives  branches  from  the  pneumogastric 


NATURAL  REFLEXES 
OF 
VITAL  FUNCTIONS. 


AUTOMATIC 
OR  ACQUIRED 
REFLEXES. 


MUSCULAR 
MOVEMENT. 

-1 
O 

Z 

SPECIAL 
5ENSATION 


NVOLUNTARY 
SPINAL  REFLEXES. 


FIG. 2. 
DIAGRAM   SHOWING   DIFFERENT  NERVE    PATHS. 

(    MODIFIED     FROM     SCHOFIEUD    '\ 


:JAf- 


INTRODUCTION  xxi 

nerve  of  the  central  nervons  system  in  addition  to  numerous 
sympathetic  nerves,  and  distributes  many  fibres  to  all  the  vital 
organs  of  the  abdomen.     (See  Fig.  6.) 

There  are  chains  of  sympathetic  nerve  ganglia  extending 
down  on  either  side  of  the  spine  into  cavities  of  the  chest  and 
abdomen,  which  are  connected  by  cross  branches,  while 
throughout  the  body,  the  two  nervous  systems  make  numerous 
contacts,  often  by  means  of  certain  special  relay  stations  or 
ganglia.  (The  relation  of  the  sympathetic  nervous  system  to 
the  general  nervous  system,  together  with  further  consideration 
of  the  functions  of  this  wonderful  mechanism,  will  be  found 
in  Appendix  A,  to  which  the  reader  is  referred.) 

THE  PHYSICAL  BASIS  OF  THOUGHT 

The  brain  is  the  organ  of  thought  just  as  the  stomach  is  an 
organ  of  digestion.  It  handles  thought  just  as  the  stomach 
handles  food.  The  brain  probably  does  not  originate  thought 
any  more  than  the  stomach  originates  food.  The  stomach 
digests  the  food  we  put  into  it.  The  brain  digests  the 
sensations,  impressions,  perceptions,  and  thoughts  which  are 
placed  in  it.  Ideas  are  mysteriously  hatched  out  in  the  mind. 
They  appear  sometimes  to  have  come  from  without.  We  are 
almost  startled  with  the  suddenness  with  which  we  get  a  new 
idea.  We  sometimes  describe  such  an  experience  by  saying, 
"  An  idea  has  just  come  to  me,"  or  "  A  thought  struck  me." 

While  the  origin  of  thought  is  enwrapped  in  more  or  less 
mystery,  the  process  of  thinking  is  perhaps  better,  although 
imperfectly,  understood.  It  will  be  remembered  that  the  nerve 
cells  contain  numerous  branches,  and  that  while  no  two  nerve 
cells  are  actually  connected,  they  are  able  to  communicate 
freely  with  one  another  by  means  of  their  various  branching 
"feelers"  (dendrites  and  neurites).  For  instance,  you  try 
to  recall  the  name  of  a  friend,  and  you  cannot.  You  are  sure 
you  know  it ;  you  were  about  to  speak  it,  but  it  went  from  you. 
In  the  meantime,  the  various  branches  of  numerous  nerves  are 
in  vibration,  feeling  out  anxiously  to  get  in  touch  with,  to 
complete  the  circuit,  as  it  were,  with  the  memory  cell  which 
holds  the  name  you  are  trying  to  recall.  Directly  the  cell  is 
found,  contact  is  made;  the  circuit  is  completed;  and,  like  a 


xxii  INTRODUCTION 

flash,  the  name  of  your  friend  arises  in  your  consciousness  and 
you  are  able  to  speak  it. 

At  night,  when  the  energy  granules  are  all  used  up  in  the 
nerve  cell,  and  it  is  unable  to  continue  the  activity  of  its  many 
processes,  its  little  branches  retract.  The  contact  between  the 
untold  millions  of  cells  in  the  brain  is  in  this  way  more  or 
less  broken,  so  that  it  is  very  difficult  to  remain  awajce.  The 
eyelids  grow  heavy,  the  centres  of  consciousness  are  dulled, 
the  muscles  relax,  the  head  begins  to  nod,  and  you  are  all  but 
asleep  before  you  know  it.  Other  theories  concerning  sleep 
attribute  the  drowsiness  and  unconsciousness  to  the  accumula- 
tion of  acid  poisons  in  the  blood  stream,  and  to  a  lowering  of 
the  blood-pressure  in  the  skull,  thereby  producing  anaemia 
of  the  brain.  While  these  various  theories  may  all  be  more  or 
less  concerned  in  the  production  of  sleep,  the  retraction  of 
the  nerve  processes  is  probably  the  best  explanation  which  can 
be  given  at  present. 


PART   I 
PSYCHOLOGIC  SECTION 


THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF 
FAITH  AND   FEAR 

PART   1 
PSYCHOLOGIC  SECTION 


CHAPTER   I 

MIND  AND  MATTER 

What  is  mind  ?  —  The  power  of  mind  over  matter. — 
Ancient  error  and  superstition. —  The  bondage  of  igno- 
rance.—  The  unity  of  the  individual. —  Chemical  mes- 
sages.—  Mental  messages. —  The  vital  messengers. —  The 
supremacy  of  mind. —  Mind,  the  monitor  of  health. 
—  The  mental  safety-brake. —  Summary  of  the  chapter. 

FOR  ages  the  problem  of  mind  and  matter  has  engaged 
the  thoughts  and  occupied  the  attention  of  physicians, 
philosophers,  and  physicists.  The  time-honored  discussions 
respecting  the  "  influence  of  mind  over  matter,"  etc.,  take  on 
new  meaning  in  the  light  of  recent  researches  and  experiments 
in  psychology  and  physiology.  It  is  doubtful  if  the  average 
individual  has  a  very  clear  idea  as  to  either  the  real  or  relative 
meaning  of  the  terms  "  mind "  and  "  matter."  Properly  to 
define  and  explain  these  terms,  then,  is  the  first  essential  task 
in  the  study  of  their  relationship. 

WHAT  is  mind  ? 
In   all  discussions   concerning  mind  and  matter,  it  is  com- 
monly understood  that  matter  refers  to  the  physical  body  and 
its    various    functions,    such    as  muscular    action,    digestion, 
breathing,  the  circulation  of  the  blood,  etc.,  but  the  meaning 


4  THE  .PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

of  the  terms  "mind,"  "mental  action,"  and  "psychic  influ- 
ence," is  by  no  means  so  clearly  understood. 

By  mind,  do  we  refer  to  the  brain  and  nervous  system  ?  If 
so,  it  should  be  recalled  that  the  brain  and  nerves  are  made 
up  of  certain  little  cells,  in  all  essentials  similar  to  those  com- 
posing the  stomach,  the  muscles,  the  liver,  and  other  bodily 
organs.  The  brain  and  nervous  systems  are  composed  of 
living  cells  which  are  just  as  material  and  literal  —  just  as 
truly  matter  —  as  are  the  cells  which  enter  into  the  formation 
of  any  other  part  of  the  animal  body.     (See  Fig.  3.) 

What  we  commonly  call  the  brain  is  merely  the  organ  of 
the  mind  —  the  seat  of  intellect  —  and  the  nerves  are  simply 
the  living  telegraph  wires  over  which  the  mind  sends  out  its 
orders  to  the  body  and  by  which  it  is  constantly  receiving 
reports  from  various  parts  of  the  physical  domain.  Just  as 
the  stomach  is  the  material  organ  in  which  takes  place 
the  chemical  process  of  digestion,  so  the  brain  is  the  material 
organ  where  the  mental  process  of  thinking  takes  place  —  and 
it  is  this  peculiar  ability  to  think  which  gives  origin  to  the 
term  "mind."  Thoughts  are  the  offspring  —  the  product  — 
of  mind,  and  mind  operates  from  its  seat  in  the  brain,  express- 
ing itself  through  the  nervous  system  by  means  of  words, 
looks,  and  actions. 

THE    POWER    OF     MIND     OVER     MATTER 

For  centuries  it  has  been  known  that  mind  could  influence 
matter.  It  has  long  been  recognized  that  the  mental  process 
carried  on  in  the  brain  exerted  more  or  less  of  an  influence 
upon  the  physical  functions  carried  on  by  the  body;  and 
so  the  brain  has  long  been  looked  upon,  more  or  less,  as 
the  body's  supervisor.  Full  recognition  has  been  given  to  the 
ability  of  the  brain  to  direct  the  voluntary  muscles  in  the 
performance  of  mechanical  work,  to  direct  the  organs  of 
speech  as  in  talking,  and  to  control  numerous  other  voluntary 
and  commonly  performed  actions;  but  not  until  recently  was 
it  fully  understood  just  how  far  the  mental  attitude  was 
responsible  for  or  could  directly  influence  the  numerous  com- 
plicated and  delicate  functions  of  the  body  which  are  involved 
in  the  maintenance  of  health  and  the  prevention  of  disease. 


The  Brain  and  Nervous  System 


T/p£S'  af 
A'erves 


n G.  3 .    The  Naryaus  Srstem  and  We  NervES, 


*.•'  >    .••' 


MIND  AND  MATTER  5 

Can  the  mind  in  and  of  itself  actually  bring  disease  upon 
the  body  ?  Do  we  really  have  imaginary  diseases  ?  Can  a 
mental  disorder  produce  a  physical  disease  ?  Can  the  mind 
actually  cure  disease  ?  Could  the  mind  really  remove  a  phys- 
ical disorder  ?  Likewise,  questions  on  the  other  side  of  the 
issue.  Can  a  physical  disorder  produce  a  mental  disease  ? 
Can  a  sick  body  produce  a  sick  mind  ?  These,  and  many  sim- 
ilar questions  have  engaged  the  attention  of  philosophers, 
physicians,  and  physiologists  of  the  past,  and  will,  undoubtedly, 
continue  to  engage  their  attention  in  the  future. 

ANCIENT     ERROR     AND     SUPERSTITION 

The  study  of  the  older  literature  abundantly  proves  that 
the  ancients  quite  fully  understood  and  recognized  the  fact 
that  the  mental  state  could  favorably  or  unfavorably  influence 
many  physical  functions.  They  certainly  understood,  at  least 
in  measure,  that  the  state  of  the  mind  had  much  to  do  with  the 
state  of  the  health.  In  other  words,  they  recognized  the  thera- 
peutic value  of  the  mind  as  a  factor  in  preserving  health  and 
combating  disease. 

Past  teaching,  respecting  the  influence  of  the  mind  upon  the 
body,  has  been  clouded  and  distorted  by  the  errors  of  super- 
stition, the  inaccuracies  of  ignorance,  and  the  exaggerations 
of  fanatical  extremist?,  whose  prejudiced  observations  and 
reports  were  more  or  less  colored  by  commercial  motives  or 
sectarian  enthusiasm.  And  so  it  was  little  wonder  that  teach- 
ing respecting  mental  healing  grew  into  a  mass  of  religious 
contradictions,  unreliable  observations,  and  groundless  asser- 
tions. It  has  required  much  painstaking  labor  on  the  part  of 
modern  physiologists  and  psychologists  to  clear  away  this 
accumulation  of  rubbish  and  ignorance  and  lay  a  scientific 
foundation  for  a  rational  system  of  mental  hygiene  based  upon 
the  known  laws  of  mind  and  matter. 

THE    BONDAGE    OF    IGNORANCE 

The  ignorance  of  past  generations  respecting  the  exact  in- 
fluence of  the  mind  and  its  action,  through  the  nervous  system, 
upon  the  body,  was  responsible  for  a  vast  amount  of  supersti- 
tion, mental  deception,  and  moral  delusion,  and  resulted  in 
the  production   of   unspeakable   sorrow   of   mind   and  untold 


6  THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

suffering  of  body,  ranging  from  the  ancient  and  inhuman 
treatment  of  the  insane  down  through  the  dark  ages  to  the 
ridicHlous  witchcraft  procedures  of  the  early  history  of  our 
own  country.  We  have  long  struggled  under  the  bondage  of 
ignorance  —  ignorance  of  the  fundamental  laws  of  mental 
hygiene,  ignorance  of  the  primary  principles  governing  the 
interrelationship  of  mind  and  matter. 

And  even  now,  in  our  present  state  of  advanced  knowledge 
respecting  the  relations  of  mind  and  body,  it  is  possible  to  lead 
but  relatively  few  persons  out  of  the  bondage  of  the  mysterious 
mysticism  and  superstition  which  have  so  long  enshrouded  the 
problems  of  mental  health  and  physical  disease,  ^t  seems  al- 
most impossible  to  convince  many  people  that  outside  of  certain 
hereditary  tendencies,  health  and  disease  are  largely  matters 
of  sowing  and  reaping,  and  that  health  or  disease  is  determined 
by  certain  fixed  mental  and  physical  laws.  The  illuminating, 
scientific  search-lights  of  the  twentieth  century  have  not  yet 
fully  penetrated  the  darkness  of  superstition  and  ignorance 
which  so  persistently  enshroud  the  vital  problems  of  mental 
happiness,  moral  peace,  and  physical  health. 

THE    UNITY    OF    THE    INDIVIDUAL 

The  scientific  revelations  of  the  last  century  have  taught  us 
that  in  the  study  of  health  and  disease  we  must  come  to  look 
upon  man  as  a  whole  —  as  a  unit  —  as  an  organized  community 
of  living  cells.  The  human  body  is  composed  of  some  twenty- 
six  trillions  of  little  cells.  Each  little  fellow  is  a  distinct  and 
separate  being,  with  a  life  of  its  own  to  live,  and  with  its 
special  individual  work  to  carry  on  as  long  as  it  lives.  We 
are  coming  more  and  more  to  understand  that  the  health  and 
happiness  or  the  disease  and  distress  of  any  cell  or  group  of 
cells,  is  in  a  measure  shared  by  all  the  other  cells  composing 
the  body's  commonwealth.  That  is,  disorder  in  any  cell  or 
organ  of  the  body,  be  it  brain,  liver,  or  lung,  must,  in  some 
measure,  unfavorably  affect  every  other  cell  of  the  body. 

This  intimate  association,  this  close  interrelationship  of  all 
the  cells  of  the  human  body,  is  effected  through  two  separate 
and  distinct  channels:  the  circulatory  system  and  the  nervous 
system. 


MIND  AND  MATTER  7 

I.  The  circulatory  system  —  chemical  messages.  Every  cell 
of  the  physical  economy  is  constantly  giving  out  from  its  own 
tiny  body  certain  secretions  and  excretions  formed  within  itself, 
which  are  gathered  up  by  the  lymph,  and  after  being  admixed 
with  the  blood  stream,  in  a  diluted  form,  are  in  time  carried  to 
every  other  cell  of  the  body.  This  constant  interchange  of 
cellular  products  creates  a  channel  by  which  any  cell  or  group 
of  cells  is  able  to  send  chemical  messages  to  any  other  cell  or 
group  of  cells  in  the  body;  and  in  the  aggregate,  it  turns  the 
circulating  fluids  of  the  body  into  a  great  chemical  messenger, 
carrying  the  messages  from  any  cell  to  every  and  all  other 
cells  of  the  body. 

Many  important  bodily  functions,  we  now  know,  are  carried 
on  in  cooperation  and  coordination  by  means  of  these  chemical 
messages  which  are  carried  from  one  part  of  the  body  to  an- 
other, by  the  body's  circulating  fluids.  We  now  know  that 
the  pancreatic  juice  is  secreted  in  obedience  to  just  such  a 
chemical  message,  which  is  sent  out  from  the  stomach  and 
bowel.  During  the  process  of  stomach  digestion,  from  time  to 
time,  there  is  thrown  out  from  the  stomach  a  portion  of  its 
acid  contents.  The  presence  of  this  acid  mass  in  the  intestine 
causes  the  bowel  immediately  to  produce  a  substance  called 
"  secretin,"  which  substance,  after  it  has  been  absorbed  into  the 
blood,  proves  to  be  the  chemical  messenger  of  the  stomach, 
which  is  sent  to  the  liver  and  pancreatic  gland  to  tell  them  just 
how  soon  and  in  what  quantity  their  secretions  will  be  required 
to  continue  the  digestion  of  the  meal. 

This  "secretin"  has  been  collected  and  when  it  is  ex- 
perimentally injected  into  the  blood  stream  of  an  animal,  it 
never  fails  to  produce  an  immediate  secretion  and  flow  of  both 
bile  and  pancreatic  juice.  There  are  a  large  number  of  these 
chemical  messengers  which  are  now  known  to  be  secreted  in 
the  body,  and  as  a  class,  they  are  known  as  "hormones." 

It  must  be  evident  then,  that  by  means  of  numerous  chemical 
messengers,  various  portions  of  the  body  are  able  profoundly 
to  influence  other  parts  of  the  body  —  that  is,  one  organ  of  the 
body  may  directly  exe;-t  an  inhibiting  or  a  stimulating  influence 
upon  another  organ.  /  In  this  way,  disease  in  any  one  organ  of 


8  THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  'AND  FEAR 

the  body  results  in  producing  more  or  less  of  a  diseased  state 
in  some  or  all  of  the  organs  of  the  body;  and  so  it  is  literally 
true,  that  disease  in  any  part  of  the  body  (ioes  result  in  more 
or  less  derangement  of  the  health  of  the  entire  organism. 

Not  only  do  we  have  chemical  messengers  which  may  be 
thrown  out  into  the  blood,  and  which  are  able  to  raise  and 
lower  blood-pressure,  but  we  also  have  certain  unnatural  and 
abnormal  chemical  messengers,  chemical  toxins,  which,  when 
present  in  the  blood,  are  able  to  produce  painful  irritation  of 
the  nerves,  while  others  produce  fatigue,  mental  laziness,  and 
even  despondency. 

Many  cases  of  mental  depression  owe  their  existence,  pri- 
marily, to  the  circulation  in  the  blood  of  certain  poisons 
which  have  a  tendency  to  raise  the  blood-pressure  and  at  the 
same  time  lower  the  mental  and  moral  courage  of  the  in- 
dividual. But  powerful  as  are  these  means  of  chemical 
communication  between  the  cells  of  the  body,  we  have  a  still 
more  important  and  intimate  means  of  intercommunication 
between  the  various  cells  and  organs  of  the  body. 

2.  The  nervous  system  —  mental  messages.  Nearly  all  neu- 
rons or  nerve  cells  possess  two  or  more  branches.  (See  Fig. 
3.)  One  of  these  branches  carries  impulses  from  the  nerve 
cell  to  other  nerve  cells  or  to  special  structures  such  as  the 
muscles,  while  the  other  branch  carries  impressions  to  the 
nerve  cell  from  the  skin  and  other  organs  of  sensation  as  well 
as  from  other  nerve  cells.  Thus  by  means  of  two  or  more 
neurons  and  their  incoming  and  outgoing  branches,  the  various 
sensory  impressions  originating  in  the  skin  and  in  other  organs 
of  special  sense  are  communicated  to  different  nerve  centres 
located  in  the  brain  and  spinal  cord. 

It  is  estimated  that  there  are  over  two  billions  of  living  nerve 
cells  in  the  human  brain  and  spinal  cord,  not  to  mention  the 
untold  millions  of  cells  which  are  found  in  the  sympathetic 
nervous  system  with  its  large  central  brain  in  the  abdomen  — 
the  solar  plexus. 

It  must  be  very  clear  that  by  means  of  these  living  wires  — 
these  relays  of  cables  which  run  to  and  from  the  brain,  and 
which  branch  and  re-branch  until  practically  every  cell  in  the 


MIND  AND  MATTER  9 

human  body  is  supplied  with  its  tiny  little  nerve  —  it  must  be 
evident  that  through  this  channel  of  the  nervous  system,  any 
one  part  of  the  body  can  almost  instantaneously  influence  any 
or  every  other  part  of  the  body  for  weal  or  for  woe.  And  it 
is  exactly  so.  When  one  tastes  or  smells  something  disa- 
greeable, the  impression  is  immediately  carried  to  the  brain,  the 
organ  of  the  mind,  from  which  there  is  instantly  flashed  out  a 
mental  message  to  the  stomach.  The  taster  becomes  nauseated, 
and  if  the  message  is  strong  enough,  he  immediately  vomits. 
Let  another  person  either  smell  or  taste  savory  food  —  when 
quite  hungry.  These  pleasant  impressions  of  taste  and  smell 
are  quickly  carried  to  the  nervous  headquarters  —  the  brain  — 
from  whence  orders  are  immediately  despatched  to  the  stomach 
to  secrete  the  necessary  gastric  juice  to  digest  the  meal  about 
to  be  eaten,  and  in  obedience  to  this  mental  message  which  the 
mind  sends  down  from  the  brain,  there  begins  to  be  poured 
out  into  the  stomach  in  about  four  and  a  half  minutes^  an 
abundance  of  strong  gastric  juice,  which,  in  both  quantity  and 
quality,  is  just  adapted  to  the  appetite  and  the  digestion  of 
the  food  which  was  instrumental  in  provoking  its  secretion. 

THE  VITAL  MESSENGERS 

Thus  by  means  of  chemical  messengers  carried  by  the  blood, 
and  mental  messages  flashed  over  the  nerves,  the  most  lowly 
of  the  body's  cells  are  able  to  influence  their  fellow-cells 
favorably  or  unfavorably.  In  this  way  the  overworked  muscles 
produce  nervous  fatigue,  bodily  weariness,  and  mental  drows- 
iness. The  bile  cells,  as  the  penalty  of  their  abuse,  may 
jaundice  the  body,  discolor  the  skin,  and  produce  an  attack 
of  acute  indigestion  ("biliousness")  accompanied  by  vomiting. 
The  inactivity  of  the  eliminating  cells  of  the  skin,  bowels,  and 
kidneys  may  result  in  throwing  back  poisons  into  the  blood 
stream,  which  will,  when  carried  to  the  brain,  produce  head- 
ache, mental  despondency,  sleeplessness,  and  even  moral  despair. 

If  a  single  group  of  body  cells  are  thus  able  to  influence  so 
profoundly  another  group  of  cells,  how  much  more  powerful 
must  be  the  influence  of  the  mind  which  presides  over  the  very 
centre  and  citadel  of  the  nervous  system,  more  or  less  con- 
trolling ev^ry  mental  message  passing  over  the  vast  telegraph 


10         THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

system  of  the  body,  and  even  indirectly  controlling  the  secre- 
tions of  the  cells  and  the  special  secretory  glands. 

While  it  must  be  granted  that  the  body  constantly  exerts 
more  or  less  of  an  influence  over  the  mind;  and  that  disease, 
disorder,  or  pain,  anywhere  in  the  physical  domain,  contributes 
directly  to  the  production  of  mind  disturbance  and  mental  panic ; 
nevertheless,  in  view  of  these  physiological  facts  respecting 
the  circulatory  and  nervous  systems,  it  must  be  evident  —  other 
things  being  equal  —  that  the  mind  is  enthroned  in  the  place  of 
power  and  intrenched  in  the  position  of  controlling  influence. 
The  mental  state  must  ofttimes  prove  to  be  the  determining 
power  and  the  deciding  factor  in  the  incessant  battle  —  the 
ceaseless  struggle  —  between  health  and  disease,  between  man 
and  the  microbe. 

THE  SUPREMACY  OF   MIND 

Does  the  mind  have  a  body,  or  does  the  body  have  a  mind  ? 
The  physician  and  the  physiologist,  from  the  very  nature  of 
their  studies,  are  frequently  inclined  to  the  position  that  the 
body  has  a  mind  —  that  man  is  essentially  a  material  being,  an 
animal  organism;  that  the  mind  is  simply  the  function  of  the 
brain  and  nervous  system  —  a  specialized  development  of  the 
body  designed  to  unite,  control,  and  coordinate  the  organism. 
Until  very  recently,  modern  scientists  largely  looked  upon  man 
as  controlled  entirely  by  the  laws  of  physics  and  chemistry. 
Physiologists  are  now  coming  to  recognize  other  and  stronger 
forces  at  work  in  the  marvellous  and  mysterious  vital  activities 
of  the  living  cell. 

On  the  other  hand,  psychologists  arfe  quite  apt  to  regard  man 
as  a  "  mind  having  a  body."  They  take  the  position  that  man 
is  "  made  in  the  image  of  God,"  that  the  human  mind  —  crea- 
tive power  —  is  a  distinguishing  attribute  of  the  race,  that  the 
body  is  merely  the  material  instrument  for  expressing  the  will 
and  carrying  out  the  purpose  and  pleasure  of  the  mind.  It 
must  be  evident  that  these  two  views  of  man  lead  to  entirely 
different  conclusions  respecting  both  moral  beliefs  and  conduct. 

A  well-known  lecturer  in  his  recent  challenge  of  the  theory 
of  evolution,  raised  the  question,  whether  man  was  coming  up 
from  the  monkey,  or  going  down  toward  him,  stating  that  he 


MIND  AND  MATTER  ii 

had  seen  men  going  both  ways;  and  so  it  is  with  respect  to  the 
supremacy  of  mind  over  matter.  Sensuous  individuals  with  a 
low  grade  of  intelligence  and  with  a  minimum  amount  of  self- 
control —  victims  of  every  intemperate  appetite  and  vicious 
passion  —  certainly  appear  to  prove  the  contention  that  the 
body  has  a  mind,  and  but  little  mind  at  that.  On  the  other 
hand,  and  in  contrast  with  such  a  picture,  the  rank  and  file  of 
the  civilized  races  stand  out  preeminently  as  intelligent  beings. 
The  glorious  triumph  of  the  mind,  the  superiority  of  intel- 
ligence, is  abundantly  shown  in  the  case  of  the  man  with  a 
great  mind  and  an  insufficient  body;  as  well  as  in  the  case  of 
the  strong  mind  and  the  weak  and  diseased  body.  These  com- 
mon observations  lead  one  strongly  toward  the  viewpoint  of 
the  psychologist  —  that  man  is  a  "  mind  with  a  body." 

And  so  it  must  be  evident  that  any  influence  or  power  gain- 
ing control  of  the  brain  and  nerve  centres,  will  be  able 
eventually  to  gain  control  of  the  entire  body.  Not  only  are 
the  brain  and  its  associated  nerve  centres  the  recipients  of  all 
the  impulses  coming  in  over  the  nervous  system,  but  they  are 
also  the  seats  of  authority  from  which  the  mind  sends  out  all 
mental  messages  to  the  remotest  cells  of  the  body. 

MIND THE   MONITOR  OF    HEALTH 

Not  only  does  the  mind  directly  influence  the  life  and  health 
of  every  cell  in  the  physical  domain  by  means  of  these  messages 
v.'hich  it  is  able  to  send  directly  to  the  cell ;  but  the  mind  is  also 
able,  indirectly,  to  influence  the  health  and  action  of  the  entire 
body  through  the  nervous  regulation  and  control  of  the  cellular 
and  glandular  secretions.  That  is,  to  a  certain  extent,  the  mind 
may  be  able  to  modify  the  chemical  messages  which  every  cell 
is  sending  to  every  other  cell  of  the  body;  and  so  from  what- 
ever standpoint  we  examine  the  proposition,  we  are  forced  to 
admit  the  ultimate  supremacy  of  mind  over  matter,  at  least  in 
so  far  as  mind  and  matter  may  be  regarded  as  influencing  and 
controlling  the  functions  of  the  body  in  health  and  disease. 
We  must  recognize  that  the  mental  and  moral  powers  having 
their  seat  in  the  brain  are  in  position  to  wield  a  mighty  influ- 
ence for  health  and  disease.  We  freely  grant  that  all  disease 
must  have  a  definite  cause;  but  may  not  long  continued  func- 


12         THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

tional  derangement  resulting  from  abnormal  and  diseased 
mental  control,  directly  contribute  to  predisposing  the  body  to 
many  acute  disorders  and  chronic  diseases  ? 

It  would  thus  seem  that  the  mind,  through  the  nervous  sys- 
tem, and  within  certain  limits,  has  considerable  control  over 
the  functions  of  the  body,  with  power  to  influence  and  modify 
these  functions  at  will;  and  this  would  indeed  be  true,  were  it 
not  for  the  fact  that  all  the  vital  functions  of  the  body  are 
wholly  or  partially  under  the  control  of  the  involuntary  or 
sympathetic  nervous  system  —  a  nervous  system  which  not  only 
does  not  have  its  headquarters  in  the  brain,  but  which  does 
not  so  much  as  enter  the  brain  by  means  of  the  smallest  nerve 
fibre. 

THE  MENTAL  SAFETY-BRAKE 

The  sympathetic  nervous  system  is  nature's  great  barrier 
against  the  whims  of  the  mind;  it  is  the  physiological  safety- 
brake  against  mental  panic  in  the  individual's  brain;  it  is  the 
everlasting  safeguard  against  a  demoralized  mind  —  mental 
confusion,  and  suicidal  tendencies. 

The  mind  only  indirectly  dictates  or  controls  the  mental 
messages  sent  out  over  this  sympathetic  nervous  system.  The 
majority  of  the  orders  of  the  mind  centres  reach  the  vital 
organs  only  indirectly,  by  means  of  a  system  of  cross  connec- 
tions between  the  voluntary  and  involuntary  nervous  systems; 
and  even  then,  only  after  its  messages  are  duly  censored  (in 
the  sympathetic  relay  stations  or  ganglia)  is  the  mind  able  to 
get  its  messages  through  to  the  various  vital  organs,  upon 
whose  faithful  action  life  itself  depends. 

And  this  explains  why,  though  fear  or  sudden  fright  may 
excite  the  heart  to  palpitation,  one  cannot  entirely  stop  the 
beating  of  the  heart  or  greatly  modify  its  rate  by  the  exertion 
of  the  will.  Only  for  a  short  time  can  a  person  stop  breathing 
by  means  of  an  effort  of  the  will  or  an  order  from  the  mind. 

And  so  our  definition  of  mind  must  be  enlarged  to  include 
that  mysterious  power  seated  upon  the  throne  of  the  nerve 
centres,  which  so  fascinatingly  presides,  not  only  over  the 
realms  of  thought  and  intelligence,  but  also  over  those  of  func- 
tion and  physiology. 


MWD  AND  MATTER  13 

SUMMARY   OF  THE   CHAPTER 

1.  The  terms  hrain  and  mind  must  not  be  confused.  The 
brain  is  matter  —  material;  it  is  the  organ  of  mind  and  sus- 
tains the  same  relation  to  the  mental  processes  that  the 
stomach  does  to  digestion. 

2.  Throughout  all  time  it  has  been  recognized  that  mind 
could  influence  matter,  but  only  recently  have  its  scope  and 
limitation  been  scientifically  studied  and  defined. 

3.  Ignorance,  superstition,  and  prejudice  have  ever  stood 
in  the  way  of  light  and  truth  respecting  mental  and  moral 
hygiene  —  the  relations  of  mind  and  matter. 

4.  Modern  science  regards  man  as  a  unit.  The  cells  com- 
posing the  animal  body  are  all  interrelated  —  there  exists  a 
community  of  interests. 

5.  The  unification  of  the  individual  is  effected  by  two  dis- 
tinct influences:  (a)  "chemical  messages"  which  are 
carried  to  every  cell  by  the  circulation  (hormones),  and  (b) 
"  mental  messages "  which  reach  the  cells  by  way  of  the 
nervous  system   (nerve  impulses). 

6.  Chemical  messengers  or  hormones  are  able  to  direct 
cellular  secretion  and  influence  the  elaboration  of  important 
digestive  secretions  —  as  in  the  case  of  the  pancreatic  juice. 
Abnormal  chemical  agents  may  also  circulate  in  the  blood,  as 
in  the   case   of  the  bacterial  toxins  causing  disease. 

7.  Practically  every  cell  in  the  human  body  is  in  actual 
contact  with  a  minute  filament  or  branch  from  some  nerve 
fibre  which  constantly  carries  to  the  cell  impulses  originating 
in  other  and  remote  parts  of  the  organism. 

8.  The  body  is  unified  and  coordinated  by  means  of  the 
combined  action  of  these  chemical  and  nervous  forces,  which, 
taken  as  a  whole,  may  be  looked  upon  as  the  vital  messengers 
of  the  physical  economy,  enabling  any  single  cell  to  influence 
any  and  all  other  cells. 

9.  Modern  psychology  and  physiology  testify  that  man  is  a 
mind  with  a  body.  Science  concedes  the  supremacy  of  mind 
over  matter  —  not  absolute  and  unlimited,  but  according  to 
laws  which  regulate  the  interrelationship  of  mind  and  matter. 

10.  Mind  exerts  an  undoubted  and  far-reaching  control  over 


14        THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  'AND  FEAR 

all  the  physical   functions.  [  The  balance  of  power  in  health 
and   disease  not  infrequently   rests   with  the  mental   attitude) 

11.  The  sympathetic  nervous  system  is  the  mental  safety- 
brake.  All  mental  messages  from  the  higher  brain  centres 
reach  the  vital  organs  only  after  passing  through  the  various 
ganglia  or  relay  stations  of  the  sympathetic  system,  where  they 
are  properly  censored,  or  at  least  so  modified  as  to  be  less 
injurious  to  the  normal  action  of  the  organism. 

12.  The  definition  of  mind  must  be  enlarged  so  as  to 
include  the  whole  of  that  mysterious  power  which  so  marvel- 
lously presides,  not  only  over  the  realm  of  thought  and 
intelligence,  but  also  over  the  vital  physical  functions. 


CHAPTER  II 

BRAIN,   MIND,   AND   PERSONALITY 

Seat    of   the    intellect. —  The   two    brains. —  The   brain 

DOES     NOT     THINK. —  BrAIN     AND     MIND. —  ThE     IMPRESS     OF 
MIND    UPON    MATTER. —  SUMMARY    OF    THE    CHAPTER. 

IT  is  in  the  brain  that  mind  and  matter  meet.  Mind  is  close 
of  kin  to  personality.  The  matter  composing  the  human 
body  is  constantly  changing.  The  average  man  eats  an 
amount  of  food  each  month  equivalent  to  his  own  weight. 
Notwithstanding  this  ever-changing  character  of  the  animal 
body,  the  mind  continues  to  direct  this  new  matter  in  the 
same  old  channels;  and  this  explains  why  a  man's  personality 
and  identity  remain  unchanged. 

The  term  brain  is  comparatively  recent  in  its  origin  —  espe- 
cially as  regards  its  association  with  the  mind  as  a  centre  of 
the  intellect.  The  word  brain  is  not  to  be  found  in  ancient  lit- 
erature. The  ancients  little  suspected  that  the  brain  had 
anything  to  do  with  thought. 

SEAT    OF    THE    INTELLECT 

The  Babylonions  and  other  ancient  nations  believed  that 
the  liver  was  the  centre  of  the  human  intellect.  The  earliest 
attempts  to  connect  the  mind  with  some  bodily  organ,  located 
it  in  the  liver.  Some  among  the  ancients  made  an  effort  to 
locate  the  various  intellectual  processes  in  different  physical 
organs,  regarding  the  heart  as  the  seat  of  the  soul  and  the 
spiritual  faculties,  the  kidneys  as  the  abode  of  the  mind  or 
intellect  proper,  while  all  the  tender  and  compassionate  emo- 
tions were  supposed  to  be  located  in  the  bowels. 

While  our  modern  thought  regards  the  brain  as  the  seat  or 
headquarters  of  the  intellectual  and  volitional  processes,  it 
does  not  by  any  means  limit  the  scope  and  work  of  mind  to 
this  single  physical  organ.     To  say  the  least,  the  entire  nerv- 

IS 


i6        THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OP  PAITH  AND  FEAR 

ous  system  —  both  the  central  and  sympathetic  —  must  be 
regarded  as  the  particular  and  immediate  instrument  and  organ 
of  mind. 

The  brain  does  not  secrete  thought  as  the  liver  secretes 
bile.  That  is,  the  thought  does  not  originate  in  the  brain,  any 
more  than  food  originates  in  the  stomach,  although  the  brain 
contributes  to  the  elaboration  of  thought,  even  as  the  stomach 
does  to  the  elaboration  of  food.  The  brain  and  nervous  sys- 
tem sustain  the  same  relation  to  mind  and  personality  that  a 
harp  does  to  its  player  —  as  a  telegrapher  does  to  the  wires, 
batteries,  and  instruments  which  he  so  wonderfully  utilizes 
and  marvellously  manipulates. 

THE    TWO    BRAINS 

The  brain  itself  cannot  originate  speech.  The  brain  cannot 
create  words.  This  is  clearly  shown  by  the  fact  that  when 
the  speech  or  word-memory  centres,  on  the  active  side  of  the 
brain,  are  destroyed  or  diseased,  the  power  of  speech  or  word- 
utterance  is  lost,  notwithstanding  the  other  half  of  the  brain 
is  perfectly  whole  and  healthy.  It  may  be  well  in  this  connection 
to  explain  that  while  every  man  has  two  complete  and  perfect 
brains,  he  uses  only  one  of  them  (one  side  or  hemisphere)  in 
his  intellectual  operations.  Which  side  of  the  brain  is  destined 
to  become  the  seat  of  our  intellectual  processes  is  early  deter- 
mined by  such  an  apparently  simple  matter  as  which  hand  we 
begin  first  to  make  active  use  of.  If  we  are  right-handed  — 
that  determines  that  we  shall  be  left-brained,  and  vice  versa. 

The  question  will  no  doubt  come  into  the  mind  of  the  reader, 
What  is  the  purpose  of  the  other  brain  or  hemisphere,  which 
is  not  concerned  in  the  intellectual  processes  of  thought  elab- 
oration ?  That  question  is  answered  by  explaining  that,  while 
only  one  side  of  the  brain  is  directly  concerned  in  ministering 
to  the  mind,  both  its  halves  are  equally  concerned  in  the  work 
of  ministering  to  the  body;  that  is,  both  hemispheres  of  the 
brain  are  engaged  in  the  work  of  receiving  sensory  impres- 
sions and  despatching  impulses  of  muscular  control  and 
contraction.  Again,  this  other  half  of  the  brain  —  the  intel- 
lectually inactive  half  —  serves  the  splendid  purpose  of  a 
second  or  emergency  brain,  which  can  be  made,  by  a  process 


BRAIN,  MIND,  AND  PERSONALITY  \y 

of  reeducation,  to  take  the  place  of  the  other  half,  in  case  of 
accident  or  disease. 

Cases  are  on  record,  where  certain  brain  centres,  such  as 
those  of  speech  or  word-memory,  have  suddenly  been  destroyed 
by  accident;  and  by  persistent  training  the  other  hemisphere 
of  the  brain  was  in  time  educated  to  take  up  the  work  of  its 
destroyed  counterpart.  This  work  of  developing  and  training 
new  brain  centres  can  usually  be  accomplished  in  the  earlier 
years  of  life,  f^t  is  quite  difficult  to  effect  such  changes  after 
^ the  age  of  twenty-five  or  thirty  years.)  Nature  has  very  lib- 
erally  provided  us  with  two  eyes  and  two  ears,  either  one  of 
which  is  quite  able  to  do  the  work  of  both. 

The  brain,  then,  has  come  to  be  looked  upon  as  the  servant 
of  the  mind,  while  the  mind  is  regarded  as  the  designer, 
builder,  and  maintainer  of  the  personality. 

THE    BRAIN    DOES    NOT    THINK 

That  the  brain  is  highly  differentiated  in  its  relation  to  the 
mental  life  of  the  individual  is  clearly  shown  by  its  behavior 
to  various  chemical  poisons  or  drugs.  For  instance,  opium 
stimulates  the  power  of  imagination,  enabling  its  victims  to 
be  wholly  absorbed  and  fully  entertained  by  the  never-ending 
procession  of  mental  images  and  other  creations  which  troop 
through  the  mind.  On  the  other  hand,  alcohol  stimulates 
an  altogether  different  set  of  mental  processes,  exciting  par- 
ticularly the  feelings  and  emotions,  rendering  its  users  sociable 
and  communicative  —  the  opposite  of  the  opium  users. 

This  one  thing  must  be  made  plain:  the  brain,  in  and  of  ^ 
its  physical  self,  does  not  think,  any  mo"r^~tHan  a  musical 
instrument  can  give  forth  melody  without  the  touch  of  the 
musician's  hand.  The  brain  is  indeed  the  instrument  of  think- 
ing, but  the  mind  is  the  skilful  player  that  makes  it  give  forth 
the  beautiful  harmony  of  thought.  The  eye,  of  its  physical 
self,  can  no  mote  see  than  can  a  telescope;  it  is  only  the 
sight  centre  of  the  brain  that  can  translate  visual  impres- 
sions and  re-create  images  for  recognition  by  the  mind. 

BRAIN    AND    MIND 

The  size  of  the  brain  is  of  but  little  value  in  determining  the 
dimensions   of  the  intellect.     A  large  mind  may   dwell  in  a 


\ 


,j^h\\A,n^  V/^  {Av-'^\'«x«L  4  6  t»Aa^  1/ 


4 
i8        TUE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

small  brain,  and  vice  versa.  The  organization  and  training  of 
the  brain  counts  for  far  more  than  size. 

Careful  examination  of  the  physical  structure  of  the  brain 
of  man  and  of  the  monkey  shows  no  essential  difference;  and 
yet  a  like  examination  of  the  mental  phenomenon  exhibited  by 
the  two  presents  abundant  evidence  that  their  minds  are  in 
every  way  unlike.  The  mind  of  the  man  not  only  eclipses 
that  of  the  monkey  in  every  phase  of  reason  and  every  realm  of 
thought,  but  presents  the  strange  spectacle  of  possessing  certain 
moral  and  spiritual  attributes  not  to  be  found  in  the  monkey's 
mind,  even  in  the  slightest  degree.  The  brain  of  the  man  and 
that  of  the  monkey  resemble  each  other,  but  their  minds  are 
entirely  different. 

There  is  every  evidence  that  mind  uses  certain  portions  of 
the  brain  as  a  sort  of  library.  In  the  department  of  speech, 
the  volumes  of  word-memory  and  word-speech  are  not  only 
arranged  in  an  orderly  manner  on  the  shelves,  as  it  were, 
but  facts  and  experiments  go  to  show  that  on  each  shelf  of 
this  wonderful  library  the  nouns  and  verbs  are  placed  first, 
the  pronouns  next,  then  come  the  adjectives  and  prepositions, 
while  the  adverbs  are  last  in  order. 

We  have  three  distinct  word-centres  —  one  for  hearing 
words,  one  for  seeing  words,  and  another  for  speaking  words. 
As  we  shall  see  more  fully  later,  education  is  not  merely  a 
process  of  mental  training,  it  includes  actual  physical  changes 
in  the  brain  itself.  All  thought  —  all  mental  training  — 
results  in  definite  brain  changes  and  the  establishment  of  nerve 
habits  which  actually  and  literally  render  the  man  different 
from  what  he  was  before,  and  through  the  modification  and 
transformation  of  the  mental  powers,  the  personality  is  ulti- 
mately influenced.  And  so  we  here  come  into  contact  with 
that  wonderful  and  mysterious  force  which  dominates  even  the 
intellect  of  man  —  that  force  or  influence  which  we  call  will. 
It  is  the  will  which  has  power  to  direct  the  channels  of 
thought;  and  thought  actually  changes  and  modifies  the  phys- 
ical brain ;  and  the  modification  of  brain  substance  and  nerve 
impulse  literally  changes  our  habits;  and  change  of  habit 
means    a    change    of   character;    and    character    changed   sig- 


BRAIN,  MIND,  AND  PERSONALITY  19 

nifies  a  modification  of  personality.     But  more  about  the  will 
later. 

THE    IMPRESS    OF    MIND    UPON     MATTER 

Professor  James  says: 

"The  fact  is  that  there  is  no  sort  of  consciousness  whatever,  be 
it  sensation,  feeling,  or  idea,  which  does  not  directly  and  of  itself 
tend  to  discharge  into  some  motor  effect.  The  motor  effect  need 
not  always  be  an  outer  stroke  of  behavior.  It  may  be  only  an  al- 
teration of  the  heart  beats  or  breathing,  or  a  modification  in  the  dis- 
tribution of  blood,  such  as  blushing,  or  turning  pale,  or  what  not. 
But,  in  any  case,  it  is  there  in  some  shape  when  any  conscious- 
ness is  there;  and  a  belief,  as  fundamental  as  any  in  modern 
psychology,  is  the  belief  at  last  attained,  that  conscious  processes 
of  any  sort,  conscious  processes  merely  as  such,  pass  over  into 
motion  open  or  concealed." 

If  every  mental  process,  as  James  says,  passes  over  into 
bodily  action  of  some  kind;  and  as  one  physiologist  has  said, 
that  "each  active  cell  is  connected  with  a  nerve,"  then  this 
point  becomes  one  of  the  highest  importance.  Herein  lies 
the  true  basis  of  suggestive  therapeutics.  The  theory  is  as 
follows : 

"  Nearly  every  cell  in  the  body  (except  the  epidermis  and  blood 
corpuscles)  is  supposedly  connected  with  a  sensory  nerve,  and, 
through  it,  is  in  touch  with  the  central  nerve  cells.  The  cells  are 
constantly  sending  impulses  to  the  central  nerve  cells  or  to  the 
brain,  telling  of  their  needs,  such  as  of  food  or  of  rest.  These  com- 
mon sensations  of  hunger,  thirst,  and  fatigue  are  usually  disposed 
of  as  the  instincts ;  yet  they  are  intelligences  sent  by  the  individual 
cells  to  the  lower  centres  or  to  the  higher  consciousness.  While 
thirst  seems  to  be  located  in  the  mouth,  it  is  not  from  there  that 
the  pressing  call  comes,  but  from  the  cells  of  the  whole  body.  So 
it  is  with  hunger.  If  the  cells  throughout  the  body  could  be  nour- 
ished, the  feeling  of  hunger  would  leave  the  stomach.  There  may 
be  a  feeling  of  hunger  all  the  time  —  as  in  the  case  of  persons  suf- 
fering from  indigestion  —  and  yet  the  stomach  be  well  supplied 
with  food." 

Mosso  says: 

"We  are  sometimes  surprised  by  a  sad  or  joyous  piece  of  news. 
We  all  know  what  happens  in  a  state  of  fear  and  distress.  Physi- 
ological phenomena  occur  that  cannot  be  described.  But  when  we 
learn  suddenly  that  the  news  which  has  troubled  us  is  false,  that  our 


20        THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

fear  and  distress  had  no  foundation,  the  internal  disturbance,  does 
not  cease,  the  physiological  phenomena  continue  in  the  organism  in 
spite  of  all  efforts  of  the  will  to  suppress  them." 

SUMMARY     OF     THE     CHAPTER 

1.  The  ancients  variously  located  the  mind  in  the  liver, 
kidneys,  bowels,  and  other  organs.  It  is  in  the  brain  that  mind 
and  matter  meet.  While  the  brain  is  regarded  as  the  seat  of 
intellect,  the  scope  of  the  mind  is  by  no  means  limited  to 
this  single  physical  organ. 

2.  The  brain  does  not  secrete  thought  as  the  liver  secretes 
bile.  While  both  sides  or  hemispheres  of  the  brain  are  con- 
cerned in  motor  activities,  only  one  side  —  the  left  side  in 
right-handed  people  —  participates  in  the  intellectual  processes. 

3.  The  brain  does  not  think,  it  is  merely  the  instrument  of 
thought.  The  brain  sustains  the  same  relation  to  the  mind 
that  a  musical  instrument  does  to  the  musician. 

4.  Tv^ro  brains  —  as  the  brain  of  man  and  monkey  —  may 
possess  physical  resemblance,  v^rhile  their  respective  presiding 
minds  are  wholly  unlike  or  diametrically  opposite.  Two  harps 
may  be  identical,  while  their  players  in  no  wise  resemble  each 
other. 

5.  The  brain  systematically  stores  its  knowledge.  In  the 
word-memory  centres,  the  elements  of  language  are  filed  away 
in  the  following  order:  first  nouns,  then  verbs,  pronouns, 
adjectives,    prepositions,    and    adverbs. 

6.  Mind  never  fails  to  impress  itself  upon  matter.  For 
every  mental  process  there  never  fails  to  follow  some  physical 
response.  Every  thought  of  mind,  every  process  of  conscious- 
ness, is  unfailingly  translated  into  some  form  of  material 
movement.  This  physical  response  to  mental  stimuli  may  be 
either  conscious  or  unconscious,  observed  or  unobserved,  but 
none  the  less  real. 

7.  The  mind  is  not  always  able  to  stop  or  control  the  phys- 
iological phenomena  which  it  may  be  able  to  initiate.  Fear  is 
able  to  set  in  operation  many  physical  reactions  which  soon 
pass  beyond  the  regulatory  power  of  the  mind. 


CHAPTER  III 

HOW    THE   MIND   IS    INFLUENCED    BY   BODILY 
STATES 

Sunlight  and  the  mind. —  Fresh  air  and  the  intellect. 

—  Breathing  and  brain  action. — Muscular  exercise  and 

MENTAL   activity. MiND    AS    INFLUENCED   BY   THE   STOMACH. 

—  Biliousness  and  the  brain. —  The  influence  of  eat- 
ing ON  THINKING. ThE  BLOOD  AND  THE  BRAIN. METAB- 
OLISM AND  MIND. —  Elimination  and  brain  action. —  Rest 

AND  RECREATION    IN    RELATION   TO   THE    MIND. BODY  DISEASES 

AND  BRAIN   DISORDERS. SUMMARY   OF   THE  CHAPTER. 

FOR  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  the  thought  of  the 
scientific  world  drifted  steadily  toward  materialism.  The 
mind  was  accorded  less  and  less  prestige  and  power  as  a  con- 
trolling influence  in  health  and  disease.  At  last  the  inevitable 
reaction  occurred,  and  now  in  the  midst  of  our  mental  revival 
and  Spiritual  awakening,  the  pendulum  of  mind  and  matter 
threatens  to  swing  disastrously  to  the  other  extreme.  We 
are  now  threatened  with  a  metaphysical  deluge  —  a  panthe- 
istic flood. 

In  the  preceding  chapters,  the  physical  facts  pointing  toward 
the  supremacy  of  the  mind  over  the  body  were  pointed  out. 
In  this  chapter  we  desire  concisely  to  review  the  facts  which 
portray  and  prove  the  tremendous  influence  exerted  by  the 
bodily  states  of  health  and  disease  upon  the  mind  and  morals. 

We  recognize  that  the  mind  holds  the  balance  of  power 
and  control  over  many  of  the  complicated  physical  processes 
which  are  concerned  in  health  and  disease;  nevertheless,  we 
give  almost  equal  recognition  to  the  powerful  and  dominating 
—  sometimes  tyrannical  —  control  of  the  mind  by  a  diseased, 
distressed,  or  abnormal  body.  ( Even  the  healthy  body  exerts 
a  very  powerful  influence  over  the  mental  operations?\ 

21 


22        THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

SUNLIGHT   AND   THE    MIND 

Numerous  physical  habits  and  practices,  through  their  influ- 
ence upon  the  health  of  the  body,  profoundly  influence  the 
mental  state.  There  can  be  little  doubt  that  lack  of  physi- 
cal sunshine  is  often  responsible  for  a  lack  of  mental  cheer- 
fulness. 

There  is  more  than  an  accidental  relationship  between  the 
sunshine  of  the  body  and  the  sunshine  of  the  soul.  Indoor 
living  predisposes  to  mental  despondency;  and  a  sedentary 
life,  in  many  cases,  leads  directly  to  moral  depression.  There 
is  a  direct  relation  between  the  physical  darkness  of  the  slum 
tenement  and  the  spiritual  darkness  and  moral  perversity  of 
those  who  dwell  therein. 

Sunshine  is  the  fountain  of  physical  energy  and  the  well- 
spring  of  mental  cheer,  and  it  even  contributes  indirectly  to 
strengthening  the  moral  courage.  Sunshine  in  the  home 
favors  sunshine  in  the  heart.  Sunny  homes  help  to  make 
sunny  people  —  happy  people. 

Fogs  depress  the  spirits,  and,  in  measure,  delay  the  * 
mental  activities.  This  is  due  to  the  fact  that  increase  of 
moisture  in  the  atmosphere  decreases  the  evaporation  of 
moisture  from  the  surface  of  the  body,  and  so  decreases  the 
elimination  of  poisonous  matters  through  the  sweat  glands; 
and  this  reduction  of  skin  elimination  favors  the  accumulation 
of  toxic  substances  in  the  blood,  which  poisonous  substances  j 
depress   the  brain  and  greatly  lessen  mental   action.  ' 

Even  the  cloudy  day,  but  a  passing  incident  in  our  lives,    ^ 
markedly  influences  the  temper  and  disposition  of  most  per- 
sons.    It  is  doubtful  if  the  best  of  people  are  as  generous  and   i 
philanthropic  on  a  nasty,  rainy  day,  as  they  are  on  a  sunshiny  <* 
afternoon  of  a  beautiful  summer's  day. 

FRESH    AIR    AND    THE    INTELLECT 

Lack  of  food  is  not  the  only  stunting  influence  which  acts 
upon  the  mind  of  the  growing  child.  The  mental  powers  of 
the  children  of  the  slums  are  also  retarded  by  lack  of  fresh 
air  and  sunshine.  When  the  brain  is  stuffy,  the  mental  action 
slow,  and  memory  sluggish,  the  mind  cannot  be  ventilated 
unless  the  lungs  be  ventilated;  and  the  lungs  cannot  be  veri- 


HOW  THE  MIND  IS  INFLUENCED  23 

tilated  ttnless  the  living  or  working  rooms  also  be  ventilated. 
The  proper  lighting  and  ventilation  of  the  schoolroom  is 
directly  concerned  in  the  mental  development  and  the  intel- 
lectual training  of  the  children  in  attendance.  Many  persons 
suffer  all  day  from  mental  dulness  and  gain  the  reputation 
of  possessing  a  mean  disposition,  as  the  result  of  breathing  all 
night  the  foul  and  polluted  atmosphere  of  an  unventilated 
sleeping-room. 

The  breathing  of  impure  air  directly  and  powerfully  influ- 
ences the  mind.  It  will  be  recalled  how  many  a  lecture  or 
sermon,  good  in  itself,  was  utterly  spoiled  because  the  hearers 
were  breathing  the  foul  air  of  an  unventilated  audience  room. 
Scientific  ventilation,  especially  during  the  winter,  would  add 
much  to  the  success,  happiness,  and  religious  enjoyment  of 
many  persons  who  are  morose,  depressed,  and  even  melan- 
cholic, as  the  result  of  their  voluntary  imprisonment  in  their 
miserably  ventilated  living-rooms. 

Recent  observations  and  experiments  in  France  go  a  long 
way  toward  proving  that  the  winter  temperature  of  living- 
rooms  has  much  to  do  with  the  physical  health  and  mental 
buoyancy.  Temperatures  above  65  degrees  F.  are  found  to  be 
more  poisonous,  hence,  more  deleterious  to  the  health  of  both 
mind  and  body.  At  65  degrees  F.,  many  of  the  respiratory 
poisons  condense  and  so  fall  to  the  floor,  where  they  are  ren- 
dered perfectly  harmless. 

Oxygen  feeds  the  vital  fires  which  effectually  burn  up  the 
poisons  of  the  living  machine.  These  poisons  when  not  prop- 
erly burned  up  (oxidized),  prove  equally  powerful  in  the 
work  of  depressing  both  mind  and  body.  The  vast  majority 
of  the  toxins  of  disordered  metabolism  and  deranged  nutri- 
tion prove  to  be  mind  poisons  as  well  as  body  poisons.  In- 
sanity as  well  as  paralysis  frequently  follows  in  the  wake  of 
raging  fevers   and   prolonged  infections. 

Considered  from  every  possible  standpoint,  mental  vigor 
and  moral  health  are  greatly  lessened  by  the  indoor  living  of 
modern  civilization;  while  the  outdoor  life,  in  every  way, 
supplies  conditions  which  favor  the  highest  degree  of  mental 
strength  and  moral  efficiency. 


24         THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

BREATHING    AND   BRAIN    ACTION 

The  normal  action  of  the  lungs  has  much  to  do  with  the 
healthy  action  of  the  mind.  Deep  breathing  favors  deep 
thinking,  while  shallow  breathers  are  condemned  to  inevitable 
shallow  thinking.  Healthy  brain  action  is  dependent  upon  the 
normal  supply  of  good,  red  blood.  Deep  breathing  purifies 
the  blood  and  favors  its  circulation  through  the  brain.  If 
the  brain  is  not  properly  nourished  with  pure  blood,  the  mind 
is  directly  influenced  and  greatly  crippled  in  its  operation. 

All  victims  of  despondency,  all  downcast  and  crestfallen 
people,  are  shallow  breathers.  To  •  convince  oneself  of  the 
direct  influence  of  breathing  efficiency  upon  brain  efficiency, 
try  the  following  experiment:  Sometime,  when  reading  in  a 
close  and  unventilated  room,  when  the  mind  is  wandering 
and  it  is  exceedingly  difficult  to  concentrate  the  attention  — 
when  it  is  almost  impossible  to  keep  from  falling  asleep  —  lay 
down  the  book  for  a  moment ;  go  directly  out  of  doors,  or  stand 
before  an  open  window;  take  twenty-five  deep  breaths  of  air, 
fully  expanding  the  lungs  each  time.  Now  witness  what  a 
mental  transformation  has  been  so  quickly  wrought.  The 
mind  is  all  attention,  the  thoughts  are  quickly  directed  and 
easily  controlled,  while  the  brain  is  wide  awake  and  highly 
active. 

Deep  breathing  purifies  the  blood  and  sends  it  tingling 
through  the  blood  vessels  of  the  brain,  where  it  washes  away 
the  poisonous  excretions  and  nourishes  the  nerve  cells  with  its 
life-giving  stream.  A  ventilated  and  nourished  brain  cell  is 
absolutely  essential  to  normal  and  satisfactory  mental  action. 

Ineufficient  breathing  is  directly  related  to  "the  blues." 
Systematic  deep  breathing  will  do  much  to  prevent  portal 
(abdominal)  congestion,  and  we  have  long  known  that  the 
mental  state  known  as  "  the  blues "  was  very  largely  due  to 
congestion  of  blood  in  the  large  vessels  associated  with  the 
liver.  A  flat  chest  too  often  means  a  frail  mind,  while  a 
strong  chest,  as  a  rule,  indicates  relative  strength  and  vigor  of 
mind.  Recent  experiments  go  to  show  that  physical  endurance 
is  increased  thirty  per  cent  by  deep  breathing. 

There  can  be  little  doubt  that  bad  breathing  and  worry  go 


d'Ji 


RESTED     NERVE     CELLS 

SHOWING 
ABUNDANCE     OF    ENERGY     GRANULES 


TIRED    NERVE  CELLS 

SHOWING 
DEPLETION   OF    ENERGY  GRANULES 


FIG.  4-.       ENERGY    GRANULES   OF  NERVE  CELLS. 


FIG. 5. 


DIAGRAM    SHOWING  THE  FIBRILLAR  NET  WORK 
OF  THE  NERVE  CELLS. 


HOW  THE  MIND  IS  INFLUENCED  25 

together.  Getting  rid  of  one  usually  helps  in  overcoming  the 
other.  Shallow  breathing  beclouds  the  mind  by  favoring  a 
retention  of  blood  poisons,  thereby  placing  heavy  and  unnec- 
essary  burdens   upon   the   moral  nature. 

MUSCULAR    EXERCISE    AND    MENTAL    ACTIVITY 

More  or  less  body  work  is  indispensable  to  first-class  brain 
work.  Physical  exercise  increases  the  circulation,  favors 
digestion,  promotes  elimination,  in  fact,  facilitates  all  those 
bodily  processes,  the  proper  performance  of  which  are  so 
essential  to  a  healthy  brain  and  a  vigorous  mind.  Body  work 
favors  deep  breathing  and  deep  breathing  promotes  mental 
action. 

Physical  exercise  greatly  aids  in  the  burning  up  of  bodily 
poisons  and  thus  relieves  the  mind  from  the  depression  which 
so  surely  results  from  the  accumulation  of  these  toxic  sub- 
stances in  the  blood  stream.  Systematic  exercise  will  do  much 
to  help  in  the  acquisition  of  a  pleasant  disposition  and  an 
agreeable  temperament.  Regular  exercise  —  a  daily  sweat 
—  will  contribute  much  to  mental  peace  and  the  enjoyment 
even  of  one's  religion. 

Just  as  truly  as  perfect  physical  development  (when  not 
carried  to  unnatural  and  pugilistic  extremes)  directlj"-  favors 
strong  mental  action,  so  must  it  be  recognized  that  we  cannot 
deform  the  body  without  in  some  measure  deforming  the 
mind.  The  physical  body  is  the  mind's  only  instrument  of 
expression,  and  it  stands  forever  true  that  perfect  mental 
action  demands  a  high  degree  of  physical  perfection  in  the 
working  of  the  bodily  functions. 

Fashionable  clothing,  by  its  influence  in  crippling  respira- 
tion and  in  lessening  physical  exercise,  may  be  indirectly 
charged  with  crippling  the  mental  powers  and  lessening  mind 
action.  Who  can  deny  that  careless  clothing  of  the  feet, 
which  results  in  the  production  of  corns  and  bunions,  is  di- 
rectly responsible  for  producing  a  bad  disposition,  a  quarrel- 
some temperament,  and  numerous  other  evidences  of  perverted 
and  distorter  mind  action  ? 

Overworking  the  body  produces  mental  weariness,  as  well 
as  physical  fatigue.     The  industrial  slave,  toiling  in  the  sweat 


2(>        THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

shop,  exhibits  equal  evidences  of  mental  deterioration  and 
physical  disease.  The  abuse  of  the  physical  powers  inevitably 
reacts  in  the  lessening  of  the  mental  vigor. 

THE    MIND    AS    INFLUENCED    BY    THE    STOMACH 

The  stomach  probably  exerts  a  greater  influence  over  the 
mind  than  any  other  physical  organ,  except  the  brain.  At 
certain  times,  when  the  mind  is  almost  dethroned  by  a  dis- 
tracting pain  in  the  cranium,  the  sufferer  could  truly  be  said 
to  have  a  "  stomach-ache  "  in  the  head.  The  stomach,  as  the 
portal  of  entry  for  all  nourishment  of  the  body,  is  able  to 
contribute  much  either  for  or  against  the  mental  health  and  the 
moral  happiness  of  the  individual.  The  nerve  which  so  abun- 
dantly supplies  the  stomach,  liver,  lungs,  and  heart  —  the 
pneumogastric   nerve  —  also   sends  branches   to   the   meninges 

—  the  covering  membrane  of  the  brain. 

Many  persons  who  are  regarded  as  cross  and  crabbed,  who 
are  looked  upon  as  possessing  an  unbearable  disposition,^whose 
minds  are  commonly  regarded  as  altogether  ignoble  and  cruel 

—  are  merely  suffering  from  a  chronic,  dyspeptic  grouch;  and 
it  will  be  a  hard  matter  for  orthodox  religion  or  any  of  its 
twentieth  century  counterfeits,  or  any  other  genuine  or  fraud- 
ulent system  of  mental  healing,  to  relieve  such  persons  of  their 
mental  disorders  until  the  stomach,  liver,  and  bowels  are  set  in 
order. 

A  sour  stomach  usually  means  a  sour  disposition.  Intes- 
tinal fermentation  commonly  ends  in  intellectual  fermentation. 
In  order  to  sweeten  up  the  mental  process,  we  must  sweeten  up 
the  digestive  process. 

Many  failures  in  business,  college,  family  life,  and  religion, 
if  the  facts  were  known,  could  be  rightfully  charged  up  to 
disordered   nutrition  —  dyspepsia   and   constipation. 

It  is  altogether  impossible  to  have  peace  in  the  head  and  war 
in  the  stomach.  Coarse  eating  and  fine  thinking  are  incom- 
patible. 

Sleep  does  not  interfere  with  digestion,  but  it  is  a  well- 
known  physiological  fact  that  digestion  does  interfere  with 
sleep,  and  so  midnight  suppers  do  impoverish  the  mind  and 
depreciate  the  mental  powers,  by  robbing  both  mind  and 
body  of  their  natural  rest  and  recuperation.     Recent  experi- 


HOW  THE  MIND  IS  INFLUENCED  27 

ments  go  to  show  that  sleep  does  interfere  with  the  motility 
of  the  stomach  —  its  muscular  power  upon  which  it  is  dependent 
for  emptying  itself. 

BILIOUSNESS    AND   THE  BRAIN 

Biliousness  is  a  disease  by  no  means  limited  to  the  body. 
When  one  is  bilious,  the  brain  is  bilious,  the  mind  is  forced  to 
operate  through  a  bilious  brain  and  over  a  bilious  nervous 
system,  and  that  is  exactly  why  one  looks  bilious,  acts  bilious, 
and  talks  bilious  —  the  brain  is  jaundiced  as  well  as  the  skin. 

The  liver  is  the  body's  poison-destroyer  —  the  metabolic 
garbage  crematory  —  and  when  it  fails  properly  to  do  its  work, 
when  it  is  overworked,  lazy,  or  torpid,  the  blood  is  literally 
flooded  with  toxins  and  poisons,  and  soon  the  brain  becomes 
torpid,  the  mind  lazy,  and  the  thoughts  sordid. 

Even  the  powers  of  memory  are  directly  influenced  by  indi- 
gestion, biliousness,  and  acidity  of  the  blood.     Many  persons 
suffering    from    dyspepsia    and    indigestion,    supposing    their    >^^ 
■  memory  to  be  failing  from  old  age,  have  found  their  mental 
'  energies  restored  and  their  thinking  powers  renewed,  after  the 
successful  treatment  of  their  distressing  stomach  difficulties  and 
\  liver  disorders. 

THE    INFLUENCE   OF  EATING   ON   THINKING 

While  we  acknowledge  as  true  the  proverb,  "As  a  man 
thinketh,  so  is  he,"  we  are  compelled  also  to  recognize  the 
^  truthfulness  of  that  old  German  saying,  "  As  a  man  eateth,  so 
is  he." 

Maximum  mental  efficiency  demands  that  intelligent  attention 
be  given  to  the  diet.  Balanced  thinking  goes  hand  in  hand 
with  balanced  eating.  Pure  food  is  a  direct  aid  to  pure 
thoughts. 

Overeating,  hasty  eating,  and  the  eating  of  indigestible  foods, 
all  detract  from  brain  power  and  mental  efficiency.  The  animal 
world  —  a  cow,  for  instance  —  can  spend  all  its  nervous  energy 
and  vital  strength  in  the  work  of  digesting  food.  Animals  are 
able  to  keep  the  stomach  working  all  day  long.  They  seldom 
suffer  from  indigestion  or  dyspepsia.  The  animal  has  only  a 
physical  life  to  lead;  but  man  is  a  mental  being,  a  moral 
creature,  an  intelligent  animal  —  with  a  social  career  to  carve 


28        THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

out  and  industrial  battles  to  fight;  and,  therefore,  the  human 
animal  must  plan  to  conserve  its  nervous  energy  and  physical 
powers  so  as  properly  to  support  its  intellectual  activities  in 
the  arena  of  mind  and  morals  —  to  enable  the  man  to  perform 
successfully  in  the  theatre  of  society  and  commerce. 

And  these  facts  explain  exactly  why  an  animal  can  eat 
between  meals  or  at  any  time  of  the  day  or  night,  and  not  incur 
dyspepsia;  also,  why  men  and  women  who  have  intellectual 
feats  to  perform,  commercial  battles  to  win,  and  moral  problems 
to  solve,  cannot  safely  indulge  in  the  careless  and  indifferent 
physical  practices  and  dietetic  digressions  of  the  animal  world, 
without  incurring  serious  consequences  in  the  way  of  stomach 
diseases,  digestive  disorders,  and  nervous  breakdowns. 

Bad  food  combinations  —  ignorant  eating  —  are  undoubtedly 
responsible  for  many  bad  mental  decisions;  and  immoderate 
eating,  especially  of  highly  seasoned  foods,  must  be  recognized 
as  indirectly  leading  to  intemperance  and  immorality.  As  a 
rule,  overeating  is  associated  with  under-thinking. 

All  food  substances  which  are  sufficiently  irritating  to  produce 
headaches,  like  tea  and  coffee,  must  be  looked  upon  as  unfavor- 
ably influencing  the  mind  through  their  irritating  and  narcotic 
effects  upon  the  brain  and  nervous  system.  The  effect  of 
alcohol  is  not  confined  to  the  body;  in  the  first  stages  of 
intoxication  it  is  highly  exciting  to  the  mind,  subsequently,  it  is 
narcotic  and  deadening  in  its  influence  and  results  in  dulling, 
stupefying,  and  anaesthetizing  the  mental  processes.  Alcohol 
may  excite  the  mind,  but  it  does  not  nourish  the  brain. 

Fiery  foods  —  foods  which  are  hot  when  they  are  cold  —  not 
only  irritate  and  inflame  the  stomach,  but  when  carried  to  the 
brain  in  the  blood  stream,  favor  the  production  of  fiery 
thoughts. 

THE  BLOOD  AND  THE  BRAIN 

It  is  self-evident  that  brain  action  is  dependent  upon  heart 
action.  The  mind  is  bound  to  be  affected  by  circulatory  dis- 
turbances, elevation  of  the  blood-pressure,  or  congestion  of  the 
blood  in  any  organ  of  the  body.  Diseases  of  the  blood,  such  as 
anaemia,  produce  anaemia  of  the  brain  and  emaciation  of  the 
mind.  Elevation  of  the  blood-pressure  is  often  associated  with 
depression  of  the  thoughts. 


I 


HOIV  THE  MIND  IS  INFLUENCED  >  29 

An  unusually  low  blood-pressure  is  usually  associated  with 
the  mental  states  characterizing  neurasthenia  and  brain-fag. 
The  various  drugs,  such  as  tobacco  and  cocaine,  which  raise 
the  blood-pressure,  as  well  as  the  alcohol  and  morphine  group, 
which  lower  the  pressure,  are  all  powerful  in  their  deteriorating 
effect  upon  the  mind.  In  fact,  all  states  of  systemic  poisoning 
or  auto-intoxication,  result  in  more  or  less  derangement  of  the 
mental  action. 

Deficient  water-drinking  may  result  in  clouding  the  mind. 
The  brain  requires  that  its  internal  bath  should  be  administered 
with  clean  blood,  not  dirty  blood.  That  the  brain  appreciates 
its  bath  is  shown  by  the  fresh  feeling  of  invigoration  which 
results  from  washing  the  face  in  cold  water.  There  probably 
exists  no  more  powerful  way  of  instantaneously  arousing  the 
brain  and  invigorating  the  mental  powers  than  by  dashing  a 
little  cold  water  into  the  face,  and  this  is  but  one  of  the  many 
evidences  showing  the  direct  and  profound  manner  in  which 
the  body  is  able  to  influence  the  mind. 

jThe  myriads  of  microbes  which  inhabit  the  large  intestine  of 
man  are  often  responsible  for  much  of  the  mental  sluggishness 
and  moral  depression  from  which  many  persons  suffer.    When     ^--. 
these  germs  are  too  long  retained  in  the  bowel  —  when  their 

number  is  greatly  increased  by  gormandizing,  constipation,  or  ^ 

a   too   high  protein   diet  —  there   is  increased   production   and     ^h^ 
absorption  of  toxins,  which  are  responsible  for  many  disturb- 

i  ances  of  the  mind  and  body,  including  sleeplessness,  bad  breath, 

i  brownish  tint  of  the  skin,  headache,  mental  inaction,  loss  of 

*  memory,  and  moral  despondency. 

And  so  we  must  come  to  recognize  that  the  quality  of  the 
blood  has  something  to  do  with  the  quality  of  the  thinking. 
There  may  be  even  some  connection  between  the  eating  of 
adulterated  foods  and  the  thinking  of  adulterated  thoughts. 

METABOLISM    AND    MIND 

Many  strong  minds,  vigorous  intellects,  are  held  down  and 
handicapped  by  the  crippled  assimilative  powers  of  the  physical       / 
body.     Any  practice  which  favors  food  assimilation  —  thorough     *^ 
mastication  of  the  food  and  all  other  dietetic  helps  —  in  the  end 
will  prove  of  great  value  in  strengthening  the  mind  and  increas- 
ing the  health-seeker's  self-control. 


30         THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

In  chronic  indigestion  and  stomach  trouble,  with  their 
resultant  starvation  and  anaemia,  we  have  brain  starvation  — 
mental  emaciation.  Many  a  giant  intellect  has  been  effectually 
starved  out  and  prematurely  killed  by  the  combined  terrors  of 
dyspepsia  and  the  poisons  absorbed  as  a  result  of  chronic 
constipation. 

Both  physicians  and  criminologists  are  coming  more  and 
more  to  believe  that  there  is  a  direct  relation  between  decom- 
posing food  in  the  digestive  apparatus  and  mental  perversity; 
the  results  are  variously  exhibited  and  extend  all  the  way  from 
violent  outbursts  of  temper  down  to  criminal  depredations  and 
brutal  tendencies.  For,  as  previously  pointed  out,  all  secretions 
of  the  body,  normal  and  abnormal,  must  indirectly  influence 
the  mind,  through  their  action  upon  the  brain  and  nervous 
system. 

ELIMINATION    AND    BRAIN    ACTION 

Healthy,  vigorous  brain  action  is  dependent  upon  normal 
elimination  of  body  wastes;  and  normal  elimination  of  wastes 
is  dependent  largely  upon  systematic  water-drinking  and  regular 
bathing.  Bathing  is  an  antidote  for  the  wearing  of  clothes 
and  the  sedentary  life  of  modern  civilized  nations. 

The  proper  action  of  the  kidneys  in  the  elimination  of  poisons, 
and  the  liver  in  their  destruction,  is  essential  to  the  healthy  and 
normal  action  of  the  mind.  A  cloudy,  dingy  skin  usually  means 
cloudy  thinking. 

There  is  a  direct  relation  between  skin  action  and  brain 
action.  When  the  skin  is  pale  and  anaemic,  the  brain,  as  a  rule, 
is  congested  and  sluggish.  The  red  glow  of  the  skin  is  usually 
associated  with  mental  vigor,  while  the  pale  skin  is  not  infre- 
quently accompanied  by  puny  thinking. 

There  is  an  intellectual  and  social  gulf  of  wide  dimensions 
between  regular  bathers  and  non-bathers;  and  it  is  observed 
that  cold  bathing  is  conducive  to  clear  thinking. 

REST  AND  RECREATION   IN  RELATION  TO  THE  MIND 

The  accumulation  of  energy  granules  in  the  neuron,  the 
recuperation  of  the  depleted  vitality  of  the  nervous  system, 
the  restoration  of  the  brain's  power  to  respond  to  the  dictates 
of  the  mental  powers,  are  all  dependent  upon  regular  rest  and 


HOW  THE  MIND  IS  INFLUENCED  31 

refreshing  sleep.  Loss  of  sleep  quickly  shows  its  reaction  upon 
the  mind,  dulling  the  intellect,  dimming  the  mental  vision,  and 
distorting  even  the  moral  concepts. 

Regular  recreation  and  an  annual  vacation  are  indispensable 
to  first-class  brain  work.  A  regular  rest-day,  once  a  week,  and 
even  a  half  holiday  in  the  middle  of  the  week,  are  both  of  great 
value  in  producing  strong  and  healthy  mind  control. 

BODY  DI6EASES  AND  BRAIN  DISORDERS 

Last,  but  not  least,  attention  should  be  called  to  the  fact  that 
all  definite  physical  diseases  result  in  more  or  less  derangement 
of  the  mind.  In  all  the  acute  fevers  and  infectious  diseases, 
the  mental  powers  are  enfeebled,  the  mind  is  more  or  less 
distorted,  the  symptoms  ranging  from  mild  derangement  up  to 
raving  delirium.  The  majority  of  poisonous  disease  toxins  are 
alike  disturbing  to  mind  and  body. 

Typhoid  fever  and  many  other  serious  infections  predispose 
to  mental  disturbances,  and  are  occasionally  followed  by 
insanity.  Pellagra  has  a  terminal  stage  which  closely  borders 
on  the  insane  state.  Malaria  not  only  racks  the  body,  but  also 
markedly  affects  the  mental  activities. 

The  social  diseases  constituting  the  great  black  plague,  of 
which  syphilis  is  chief,  not  only  affect  the  body,  but  also  react 
upon  the  mind,  even  to  the  point  of  producing  tumors  and 
softening  of  the  brain. 

Heart  and  lung  diseases  always  affect  the  mind,  the  former 
producing  unusual  fear  and  depression,  while  the  latter  is 
characterized  by  a  fatal  optimism.  The  mental  activity  is  also 
in  measure  influenced  by  most  of  the  chronic  diseases,  such  as 
rheumatism  and  gout,  not  only  because  of  the  pain  associated 
with  these  afflictions,  but  also  because  of  the  toxins  and  poisons 
circulating  in  the  blood,  which  are  probably  primarily  re- 
sponsible for  these  disorders. 

That  the  mind  is  influenced  by  the  body  is  shown  by  both 
extremes  of  bodily  weight.  There  can  be  little  question  that 
obese,  abnormally  fat  persons,  as  well  as  the  thin,  emaciated, 
and  cadaverous,  have  their  peace  of  mind  and  intellectual 
activity  more  or  less  interfered  with,  as  the  result  of  their 
bodily  state. 


32         THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

When  a  child  has  rickets  of  the  bones,  his  physical  condition 
unfavorably  affects  the  mental  development.  In  other  words, 
the  child  with  rickets  is  rickety  in  mind  as  well  as  in  body. 

Recent  investigations  afford  positive  proof  that  adenoids  in 
the  child  interfere  with  the  development  of  the  brain,  and  thus 
more  or  less  permanently  cripple  the  mentality  of  the  child. 
Various  other  minor  afflictions  of  childhood  may  similarly 
affect  the  mental  development,  such  as  chronic  tonsilitis,  chronic 
ear-ache,  and  many  other  maladies. 

No  one  will  seriously  question  the  fact  that  pain  invariably 
exerts  a  deleterious  influence  upon  the  mind.  Intellectual 
activity  and  mental  usefulness  are  restricted  or  well-nigh 
destroyed  by  severe  or  long  continued  pain  in  any  part  of  the 
body,  resulting  from  any  cause  whatsoever. 

Minor  disturbances  or  hony  growths  in  the  nose  may  result  in 
persistent  chronic  headaches,  which  greatly  interfere  with  peace 
of  mind  and  mental  usefulness.  We  have  known  of  persons 
suffering  from  headache  for  years,  who  were  immediately 
relieved  by  the  removal  of  a  bony  growth  from  the  nose,  or 
by  the  straightening  of  a  crooked  nasal  septum. 

There  can  be  no  more  marked  illustration  of  the  effect  of  the 
body  upon  the  mind  than  in  the  case  of  arteriosclerosis,  or 
hardening  of  the  arteries.  This  harbinger  of  old  age  not  only 
results  in  producing  those  familiar  manifestations  of  physical 
decay  which  characterize  senility,  but  they  also  result  in  pro- 
ducing a  state  of  comparative  brain  starvation.  The  mind  is 
under-nourished,  all  the  mental  powers  are  enfeebled,  the 
memory  is  weakened,  and  we  are  brought  face  to  face  with  that 
pathetic  picture  of  increasing  mental  weakness  commonly 
denominated  "  second  childhood." 

There  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  various  internal  secreting 
glands  such  as  the  pituitary  body,  thymus  gland,  thyroid  gland, 
suprarenal  gland,  the  sexual  glands,  etc.,  are  all  concerned  in 
powerfully  influencing  the  mind,  temperament,  and  disposition. 
Witness  the  mental  inaction,  the  idiotic  expression  of  the 
cretin  —  the  child  whose  thyroid  gland  is  not  functionating 
normally.  (See  Fig.  7.)  Observe  the  marked  mental  and 
temperamental    changes    which    result    from    the    disease    or 


FIG  .  7. 
A    CRETIN  CHILD 


HOW  THE  MIND  IS  INFLUENCED  33 

removal  of  the  sexual  glands,  by  depriving  the  brain  of  the 
influence  of  their  internal  secretions. 

The  effect  of  the  various  nervous  diseases  upon  the  mind  is 
self-evident.  Paralysis,  various  spinal  diseases,  neuritis  and 
neuralgias  all  very  directly  and  markedly  affect  the  mind.  Vic- 
tims of  paraesthesia  —  those  who  feel  various  pricking,  burning, 
or  itching  sensations  in  different  parts  of  the  body  —  are 
sometimes  driven  almost  to  distraction  by  these  abnormal 
manifestations. 

Mental  action  is  even  interfered  with  by  eye-strain  and  many 
other  common  disorders  affecting  some  part  of  the  nervous 
system. 

In  fact,  every  physical  practice  of  the  individual  and  the 
entire  life  conduct,  react  either  favorably  or  unfavorably  upon 
the  mind.  The  young  man  may  pass  on  gayly  and  heedlessly, 
sowing  his  wild  oats  in  the  seed-time  of  youth,  but  in  the  har- 
vest time  of  after  life,  not  only  must  the  body  pay  a  physical 
penalty  for  the  follies  of  ignorance  and  sin,  but  the  mind  also 
is  forced  to  share  in  the  painful  and  sorrowful  harvest. 

Even  worry  is  often  caused  by  the  bodily  state,  there  being  a 
whole  group  of  worry  causes  which  may  properly  be  termed 
physical  causes.  These  will  be  fully  considered  in  the  chapters 
devoted  to  worry. 

SUMMARY  OF  THE   CHAPTER 

1.  The  mind  is  recognized  as  holding  the  balance  of  control 
over  numerous  physical  processes;  nevertheless,  almost  equal 
recognition  must  be  accorded  the  power  of  the  bodily  state  in 
its  influence  over  the  mental  operations. 

2.  While  sunshine  and  good  weather  elevate  the  emotions, 
fogs  and  cloudy  weather  universally  depress  the  physical  func- 
tions and  decrease  the  mental  activities. 

3.  Fresh  air,  ventilation,  and  breathing  are  all  concerned 
in  the  development  and  operation  of  the  intellectual  powers. 
Oxygen  is  indispensable  to  the  operation  of  mind  and  body. 

4.  Shallow  breathers  are  nearly  always  despondent  and 
easily  discouraged.  Deep  breathing  is  conducive  to  deep  think- 
ing. "  The  blues "  are  due  to  superficial  breathing  and 
resultant  portal    (liver)    congestion. 


34        THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

5.  Regular  body  work  is  essential  to  first-class  brain 
work.  Physical  idleness  leads  to  mental  indolence.  Physical 
development  —  within  physiological  limits  —  favors  mental 
development;  on  the  other  hand,  overwork  of  the  body  leads 
to  mental  fatigue  as  well  as  physical  weariness. 

6.  The  stomach,  digestion,  and  dyspepsia  all  exert  a  profound 
influence  on  the  mental  state.  Sour  stomach  usually  culminates 
in  a  sour  disposition.  It  is  impossible  to  have  peace  in  the 
head  and  war  in  the  stomach. 

7.  Biliousness  invariably  deteriorates  brain  action  —  the 
brain  is  jaundiced  as  well  as  the  body.  When  the  liver  is  torpid 
the  mind  soon  follows  suit. 

8.  Thinking  is  directly  related  to  eating.  Gluttony,  intem- 
perance, and  dietetic  ignorance,  all  react  disastrously  to  the 
weakening  of  the  mental  powers.  Table  habits  powerfully 
influence  thinking  habits. 

9.  The  blood  is  the  life  —  the  life  of  mind  as  well  as  body. 
Mental  action  is  immediately  influenced  by  fluctuations  in  blood- 
pressure  or  alterations  of  blood  quality.  Bodily  anaemia  is 
usually  accompanied  by  intellectual  anaemia. 

10.  Self -poisoning  or  auto-intoxication  is  not  infrequently 
mistaken  for  moral  perversity  and  mental  insubordination. 
Contamination  of  the  circulating  fluids  of  the  body  results  in 
perverting  the  mental  powers. 

11.  Many  a  giant  intellect  has  been  starved  out  or  killed  by 
the  combined  terrors  of  dyspepsia  and  constipation.  There  is 
a  direct  relation  between  putrefying  food  stuff  in  the  digestive 
canal,  and  perversity  of  mental  action  in  the  brain. 

12.  Bathing  is  an  antidote  for  clothes  and  sedentary  living. 
Elimination  is  essential  to  healthy  thinking.  There  is  a  direct 
relation  between  skin  action  and  brain  action. 

13.  All  acute  diseases  and  all  chronic  disorders  operate  to 
weaken,  pervert,  derange,  or  disease  the  mental  action.  There 
is  not  a  single  physical  disease  that  does  not  react  unfavorably 
upon  the  mind.  There  can  be  no  disorder  of  body  function 
without  more  or  less  derangement  of  mind  action. 


CHAPTER  IV 

PSYCHOLOGY  — HOW  WE  THINK 

Modern  psychology. —  The  origin  of  thought. —  Inaccura- 
cies OF  THINKING. —  PeRCEPTS,  THE  UNDIGESTED  FOOD  OF  THE 

MIND. —  Consciousness  or  the  state  of  attention. — 
Images  and  emotions. —  Imagination  and  phantasy. — 
Dangers  of  diseased  imagination. —  The  process  of  con- 
ception.—  Misconceptions. —  The  powers  of  memory. — 
Recollection. —  Recognition. —  Retention. —  Impression. 
— The  association  of  ideas. —  Intuition. — Intellectual 
house-cleaning. —  Judgment  and  reason. —  Man  a  reason- 
ing ANIMAL. —  The  crowning  act  of  thought. 

FOR  centuries  the  nature  and  cause  of  disease,  as  well  as  the 
form  and  functions  of  the  physical  body,  remained  more 
or  less  of  a  mystery ;  and  as  a  result  of  this  ignorance  of  things 
physical,  superstition  and  ignorance  dominated  medicine  and 
controlled  the  treatment  of  disease.  It  was  only  the  advent  of 
the  microscope,  and  the  subsequent  discovtry  that  disease  owes 
its  origin  to  distortion  of  the  form,  or  derangement  of  the 
function,  of  the  living  cell  —  and  not  to  the  wrath  of  the  gods, 
to  the  flight  of  the  stars,  or  to  a  mysterious  dispensation  of 
Providence  —  that  changed  our  views  of  physical  maladies; 
but  even  now,  in  the  clear  scientific  light  of  the  twentieth 
century,  we  find  the  remnants  and  relics  of  these  ancient  super- 
stitions concerning  disease,  clinging  tenaciously  to  the  minds 
of  the  people. 

modern  psychology 
What  the  microscope  with  its  discoveries  did  for  disease, 
modern  psychology  with  its  scientific  laboratory  investigations 
is  doing  for  the  mind  —  dispelling  the  mists  of  ignorance  and 
establishing  a  scientific  foundation  for  the  study  of  mind  and 
the  treatment  of  mental  disturbances. 

35 


36        THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OP  PAITH  AND  PEAR 

It  is  little  wonder  that  the  functions  of  the  brain  and  the 
operations  of  the  mind  have  been  enshrouded  in  mystery.  The 
old  psychology  or  mental  philosophy  consisted  largely  of  fanci- 
ful theories,  unproven  assertions,  and  unscientific  conclusions, 
and  largely  represented  the  personal  opinions  of  certain  text- 
book writers.  The  old  psychology  was  dreamed  out  in  the 
library,  the  psychology  of  to-day  is  wrought  out  in  the  lab- 
oratory and  represents  accurate  observations,  scientific 
experiments,  and  conclusions  which  are  drawn  from  the 
systematic  study  of  mental  phenomena  —  conclusions  which  are 
based  upon  the  known  laws  of  mind  and  matter  —  laws  deduced 
from  actually  experienced  facts.  Psychology  is  becoming  an 
honorable  and  more  or  less  definite  science. 

We  do  not  intend  to  convey  the  idea  that  psychology  has 
become  such  a  definite  science  as  mathematics,  or  as  precise 
and  well-understood  as  chemistry  and  other  of  the  physical 
sciences.  The  laws  of  mind  and  their  operation  will  probably 
never  be  so  fully  understood  as  the  laws  of  matter ;  nevertheless, 
we  possess  sufficient  information  concerning  the  working  of  the 
mind  to  safeguard  the  common  people  effectually  against  the 
scores  of  cunningly  devised  and  fraudulently  perpetrated 
systems  of  mind  cure  and  mental  healing. 

A  proper  understanding  of  the  most  elementary  principles  of 
psychology  will  serve  to  protect  the  average  man  from  the 
delusions  and  deceptions  of  the  modern  humbugs  of  healing. 
While  this  volume  is  chiefly  devoted  to  the  consideration  of 
the  physiological  aspects  of  mental  healing,  we  regard  it  as 
highly  essential  to  call  attention  to  the  fundamental  principles 
of  psychology,  the  knowledge  of  which  will  do  much  to  remove 
the  haze  of  mystery  and  the  fog  of  ignorance  which  now  sur- 
round mind  and  its  operation. 

The  knowledge  of  physiology  has  been  popularized  to  that 
point  where  the  process  of  digestion  is  now  quite  generally 
understood.  The  mystery  of  physiology  and  anatomy  passed 
with  the  last  century;  and  it  is  the  purpose  of  this  chapter 
concisely  to  review  —  to  present  in  outline,  as  it  were  —  the 
mental  processes,  the  physiology  of  the  brain,  to  tell  how  we 
think. 


PSYCHOLOGY  — HOW  WE  THINK  37 

THE  ORIGIN   OF   THOUGHT 

One  of  the  fundamental  facts  connected  with  the  study  of  the 
mind,  as  related  to  health  and  disease,  is  the  physical  origin  of 
thought.  All  thoughts  which  are  evolved  in  the  brain  and 
which  finally  find  expression  in  various  ways,  are  actually  con- 
structed out  of  literal  physical  impressions,  transmitted  over 
the  nervous  system  from  the  organs  of  special  sense  to  the 
brain. 

No  detailed  description  of  the  process  of  thinking  will  be 
here  attempted.  For  those  who  are  especially  interested  in 
giving  more  than  passing  attention  to  this  phase  of  the  subject, 
a  diagram  (Fig.  9.)  accompanied  by  a  key  of  concise  definitions 
has  been  prepared  and  will  be  found  in  the  next  chapter.  A 
brief  study  of  this  diagram  and  reference  to  the  accompanying 
key,  will  afford  a  fairly  accurate  and  practical  knowledge  of 
the  general  outlines  of  psychology. 

Physical  impressions  are  produced  in  various  organs  of  the 
body  by  the  action  of  certain  stimuli.  These  impressions  orig- 
inate in  the  nerve  terminals  of  the  different  organs  of  special 
sensation.  Sensations  of  sight  are  aroused  by  the  vibrations 
of  light  acting  upon  the  optic  nerve  of  the  eye  and  its  associated 
structures.  Sensations  of  hearing  are  excited  when  sound- 
waves strike  the  ear,  producing  impressions  which  are  conveyed 
by  the  auditory  nerve  to  the  hearing  centres  of  the  brain. 
Likewise,  the  sense  of  smell  is  stimulated  by  odoriferous  fumes 
and  vapors  and  other  substances  which  find  their  way  into  the 
nose,  thereby  exciting  the  olfactory  nerves  which  carry  these 
impressions  to  the  corresponding  brain  centre.  Taste  is  excited 
by  certain  substances  coming  in  contact  with  the  taste  buds  on 
the  surface  of  the  tongue,  from  whence  these  impressions  are 
immediately  transmitted  to  the  brain ;  and  so  sensations  of  tem- 
perature and  weight,  and  even  of  pain,  are  originated  in  the 
various  nerves  found  in  the  skin,  and  are  carried  up  through 
the  spinal  cord  to  certain  special  centres  in  the  brain. 

The  excitation  of  any  or  all  of  these  special  nerves  and  the 
carrying  of  their  impulses  to  the  brain,  gives  rise  to  sensation; 
and  so  we  may  define  sensation  as  the  conscious  recognition  by 
the  mind  of  any  and  all  impressions  which  are  made  upon  one 
or  more  of  the  special  sense  organs  of  the  body. 


38        THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

INACCURACIES    OF   THINKING 

The  accuracy  of  thinking,  the  reliability  of  thought,  it  will  at 
once  be  seen,  is  entirely  dependent  upon  the  perfection  of  the 
nervous  mechanism  of  the  organs  of  special  sensation,  as  well 
as  upon  the  reliability  of  the  nervous  system  in  the  transmis- 
sion of  its  impressions,  and  still  further  upon  the  accuracy  and 
correctness  of  the  brain  centres  in  their  interpretation  of  these 
physical  impressions,  preliminary  to  their  becoming  a  part  of 
our  thought  —  entering  into  our  mental  conclusions  —  and 
thus  becoming  a  part  of  our  final  decisions. 

That  our  physical  senses  do  not  always  represent  things  just 
as  they  are  will  be  shown  by  referring  to  the  few  simple  illus- 
trations of  optical  illusions  shown  in  Fig.  8.  Illustration  a 
presents  three  lines  having  different  terminal  markings. 
Which  line  looks  the  longest  ?  They  are  all  three  the  same 
length. 

Illustration  h  shows  three  differently  constructed  figures. 
Which  one  is  square  ?  Which  the  widest  ?  Which  the  deep- 
est ?     They  are  all  three  exactly  square. 

Illustration  c  shows  two  equal  spaces.  Which  looks  the 
longer  ?  Illustration  d  shows  a  broken  line,  i.  Which  line, 
2  or  3,  is  the  continuation  of  line  i  ?  Line  2  appears  to  be, 
but  line  3  is  the  continuation  of  line  l. 

Illustration  e  shows  two  different  arrangements  of  parallel 
lines.  Do  the  horizontal  lines  look  straight  ?  They  are  all 
four  perfectly  straight  and  parallel  with  one  another. 

Illustration  /  exhibits  another  deceptive  arrangement  of 
four  parallel  lines.  These  simple  illustrations  for  the  eye  only 
serve  to  show  that  our  physical  senses  are  not  absolutely  reliable 
in  obtaining  and  reporting  first  impressions.  Thus  the  eye 
reports  that  a  man  is  only  a  foot  high  when  he  is  a  mile  away. 
It  is  necessary  to  train  our  senses  and  to  check  up  antl  correct 
many  of  our  first  impressions  and  the  knowledge  dependent 
thereon.  Analogous  illusions  and  sensory  errors  are  found  to 
exist  in  connection  with  all  the  other  special  senses. 

It  is  evident  that  our  mental  conclusions  are  not  necessarily 
right  just  because  things  look  good,  taste  good,  or  sound  all 
right.    Liberal  allowance  must  be  made  for  errors  and  miscon- 


V 


A 


WHICH   LINE.  IS  THE  LONGER? 


WHICH    FIGURE    IS    SQUARE? 

c. 


WHICH  OF  THESE  SPACES  ISTHE  WIDEST  ? 


d. 


WHICH   LINE  (2  OR3)   ISTHE  CONTINUATION  OF  I  ? 


e. 


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^W^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^:^^ 


y////////////////////M^^m$^^^m^m^ 


m^mmmm^////////////////////. 


ARE  THE  HORIZONTAL    LINES    STRAIGHT  AND    PARALLEL? 

^^^^^:^^^=^^^^>^ 

///;::^^==^rl^ 

^^^1131 

::i^^^=^^^^^ 

V^^^^=^^^ 

ARE  THE  HORIZONTAL   LINES    PARAT.LEL? 


F»C. 8.  DIAGRAMS  ILLUSTRATING   OPTICAL  IL-LUSIONS        », 


PSYCHOLOGY^ HOW  WE  THINK  39 

ceptions,  in  connection  with  car  special  senses,  and  if  the 
physical  senses  are  thus  subject  to  mistakes  and  miscalculations, 
it  is  further  evident  that  our  thoughts  and  conclusions  are 
bound  to  be  more  or  less  mis  formed  and  distorted  as  a  result  of 
these  physical  inaccuracies. 

And  so  it  is  possible  for  the  body  to  originate,  and  the  mind 
to  recognize,  sensations  which  are  not  actually  present;  for 
instance,  cancer  of  the  foot  can  produce  severe  pain  for  months ; 
cancer,  foot,  and  all,  may  be  amputated,  and  yet  the  pa- 
tient may  keep  on  recognizing  pain  as  coming  from  the 
foot  —  recognizing  it  as  in  the  foot,  for  weeks  after  the  dis- 
eased member  has  been  buried  in  some  distant  field. 

And  so  various  sensations  of  feeling  —  itching,  pricking, 
burning  —  as  well  as  sounds  and  voices,  and  sights  and  objects, 
may  be  aroused  in  the  brain,  while  in  reality  they  have  no  ex- 
istence—  they  are  merely  illusions,  sense  delusions,  or  mental 
hallucinations.  Sensations  can  produce  ideas,  and  it  should  also 
be  borne  in  mind  that  ideas  can  produce  sensations. 

"  All  our  feelings  possess  a  natural  language  or  expression.  The 
smile  of  joy,  the  puckered  features  in  pain,  the  stare  of  astonish- 
ment, the  quivering  of  fear,  the  tones  and  glance  of  tenderness,  the 
frown  of  anger  —  are  all  united  in  seeming!}'  inseparable  association 
with  the  states  of  feeling  which  they  indicate.  If  a  feeling  arises 
without  its  appropriate  sign  or  accompaniment,  we  account  for  the 
failure  either  by  voluntary  suppression,  or  by  the  faintness  of  the 
excitement,  there  being  a  certain  degree  of  intensity  requisite  visibly 
to  affect  the  bodily  organs  " 

The  physical  sense  impressions  become  sensations  and  feel- 
ings in  the  brain ;  and  feelings  may  be  described  as  a  translation 
of  the  more  purely  physical  impressions  into  nervous  sensations 
that  can  be  recognized  by  the  mind.  And  so  the  fundamental 
basis  of  thought  is  found  to  be  wholly  physical,  and  the  first 
step  in  thinking,  conscious  sensation,  has  its  foundation  in  the 
special  organs  of  sense  connected  with  the  body. 

PERCEPTS,   THE   UNDIGESTED   FOOD   OF  THE    MIND 

Theoretically,  sensation  is  the  basis  of  thought,  but  it  is 
highly  probable  that  any  person  old  enough  to  read  these 
pages  has  long  since  ceased  to  experience  simple  sensations. 
All  our  sensations  are  almost  instantaneously  and  automatically 


40         THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

translated  into  percepts,  and  percepts  represent  the  first  step 
whereby  sensations  begin  to  take  shape  toward  the  formation 
of  concepts,  thoughts,  and  ideas.  When  our  physical  sense  im- 
pressions have  been  recognized  as  sensations  and  feelings,  the 
real  process  of  conscious  thinking  has  begun. 

Percepts  constitute  the  raw  or  undigested  food  which  has 
been  brought  over  the  nerve  tracts,  from  the  sense  organs  to 
the  conscious  centres  of  the  brain  and  into  the  mind;  and 
perception  may  be  said  to  be  the  process  of  forming  percepts 
out  of  sensations  and  feelings.  It  constitutes  the  first  step  in 
the  process  of  mental  digestion  —  perception  might  be  called 
intellectual  mastication.  Percepts,  when  once  formed,  are 
carried  upward  in  the  consciousness  as  images  and  emotions, 
entering  into  the  imagination,  phantasy,  memory,  association  of 
ideas,  and  the  process  of  conception. 

CONSCIOUSNESS,    OR    THE    STATE    OF    ATTENTION 

Before  proceeding  further  with  the  study  of  the  process  of 
thought,  it  will  be  well  to  define  consciousness.  Consciousness 
is  not  a  separate  mental  power.  It  represents  the  action  of  the 
entire  mind,  it  is  the  state  of  mental  awareness  —  the  power 
of  attention  and  recognition.  Consciousness  is  the  recognition 
of  all  bodily  sensations  and  mental  operations  in  which  all  are 
bound  together  and  unified. 

The  higher  we  ascend  in  the  level  of  consciousness,  the  less 
sensation  we  have,  and  the  more  appreciation  we  have  of 
the  real  meaning  of  things.  Consciousness,  then,  repre- 
sents the  activity  of  the  entire  mind ;  it  is  the  soul,  the  /  know  of 
the  individual. 

Attention  may  be  regarded  as  the  selective  activity  of  con- 
sciousness, the  ability  of  the  mind  to  concentrate  itself  on  an 
object  or  thought.  Attention  has  two  aspects:  the  outer,  or 
sensory  attention,  which  arouses  the  mental  activity  by  means 
of  physical  sensory  impressions;  and  the  inner,  or  mental 
attention,  in  which  the  mind  is  aroused  by  the  presence  of  an 
idea.  This  inner  attention  is  the  door  of  the  real  reflective 
powers.    It  is  the  eye  of  the  mind. 

IMAGES  AND  EMOTIONS 

The  influences  which  may  act  upon  the  body's  senses  may  be 
divided  into  those  which  are  true  and  those  which  are  false. 


PSYCHOLOGY  —  HOW   WE  THINK  41 

Man  himself  is  now  commonly  regarded  as  a  threefold  being, 
consisting  of  a  body,  mind  (soul),  and  spirit.  The  body  rep- 
resents matter;  the  soul  represents  mind  (and  throughout 
this  text  will  be  used  synonymous  with  mind)  ;  while  the 
spirit  represents  the  spiritual  forces  entering  into  the  life 
of  the  individual.  The  nervous  system  is  the  channel  by 
which  both  truth  and  error  gain  access  to  the  mind  The 
mind  may  be  said  to  be  dealing  with  and  feeding  upon  truth, 
when  it  is  engaged  in  receiving  and  contemplating  principles 
or  facts  which  are  uncontradictory,  when  it  is  dealing 
with  conclusions  and  teachings  which  are  universal  in  their 
application.  Truth  constitutes  the  real  food,  the  natural  food 
of  the  mind  Error  is  simply  perverted  truth  —  truth  which  is 
misstated,  or  otherwise  distorted. 

As  the  mind  is  fed  upon  truth  or  error,  naturally  its  images 
and  emotions  will  become  true  or  false.  As  soon  as  percepts 
are  formed  in  the  lower  levels  of  thinking,  the  mind  at  once 
chooses  symbols  to  represent  these  percepts,  which  it  forms  out 
of  sensations  and  feelings.  These  symbols  or  images  may 
stand  for  thoughts  or  for  objects,  and  they  are  true  to  life  and 
facts  only  in  so  far  as  our  sensations  and  perceptions  have  been 
truly  formed  and  correctly  interpreted.  Images  may  be  correct 
or  incorrect,  as  the  emotions  may  be  genuine,  porportionate, 
and  in  harmony  with  the  perceptions;  or  through  fear  and 
sudden  fright  they  may  become  exaggerated,  distorted,  and 
highly  deceptive  in  their  effect  upon  the  mind. 

The  emotions  are  in  reality  the  recognition  of  feelings  which 
are  going  on  in  the  various  internal  organs  of  the  body  in  the 
presence  of  some  unusual  or  extraordinary  situation.  The  emo- 
tions all  have  their  origin  and  basis  in  physical  sensations  and 
bodily  states.  The  emotions  are  probably  largely  produced  and 
influenced  by  the  blood  supply  of  the  internal  organs  together 
with  certain  nervous  conditions  which  may  originate  therein. 
Thoughts  need  words  for  their  expression,  but  feelings  and 
emotions  require  no  words;  in  fact,  we  often  vainly  try  to 
express  our  feelings  in  words,  only  to  find  that  mere  words  are 
inadequate. 

Here  again,  we  discover  abundant  opportunity  for  mental 


42         THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

deception  and  other  errors  of  interpretation.  A  diseased  body, 
perverted  sensations,  and  distorted  perceptions,  are  bound  to 
produce  more  or  less  deformity  of  our  images  and  disparity  of 
our  emotions. 

IMAGINATION   AND  PHANTASY 

As  our  sensations  are  translated  into  perceptions,  accompa- 
nied by  the  formation  of  images  and  the  feeling  of  emotions, 
they  may  be  said  to  pass  upward  in  the  level  of  thought  by  two 
routes,  one  leading  to  conception,  the  other  to  association  of 
ideas;  or  we  might  say  that  our  perceptions  were  made  mani- 
fold, about  seven  copies  being  prepared,  one  designed  for  each 
of  the  departments  of  images,  emotions,  imagination,  phantasy, 
memory,  conception,  and  the  association  of  ideas.  Percepts,  it 
will  be  remembered,  constitute  the  raw,  undigested  food  of  the 
mind. 

The  imagination  is  in  reality  the  creative  power  of  the  mind. 
It  is  ever  at  work  forming  new  experiences  out  of  our  old  ones. 
The  powers  of  imagination  take  our  ideas  and  fashion  them 
into  our  ideals.  This  is  the  higher  or  creative  imagination. 
Another  function  of  this  mental  power,  reproductive  imagina- 
tion, is  very  closely  allied  to  memory,  in  fact,  it  is  commonly 
regarded  as  a  part  of  memory. 

Closely  associated  with  the  imagination  but  entirely  distinct 
from  it,  is  the  power  of  phantasy.  Phantasy  must  not  be 
confused  with  fancy.  This  peculiar  power  of  phantasy 
represents  what  might  be  called  the  safety-valve  of  the 
mind.  It  is  closely  associated  with  memory,  and  may  be 
regarded  as  its  playhouse.  Our  powers  of  phantasy  find  expres- 
sion in  daydreams  and  day  reveries.  Phantasy  represents 
the  self  adrift.  It  is  the  state  of  mind  one  finds  himself 
in  while  resting  in  a  hammock  on  a  beautiful  summer's  after- 
noon, oblivious  of  all  surroundings,  wide  awake,  and  yet  letting 
the  thoughts  drift  down  the  stream  of  mind  without  guidance, 
help,  or  interference. 

As  we  ascend  in  the  realms  of  thought,  we  reach  more  and 
greater  possibilities  of  mental  confusion  and  mind  deception. 
It  is  quite  impossible  for  the  very  young  child  to  discriminate 
between  imagination,  memory,  and  images.    The  child  of  three 


PSYCHOLOGY  — HOW  WE  THINK  43 

years  will  vividly  describe  his  meetings  with  lions  and  other 
wild  beasts,  and  may  tell  these  things  as  real  experiences  which 
have  just  happened.  He  is  really  recalling  the  pictures  of  lions 
from  his  books,  or  reviving  the  memory  images  of  the  beasts 
observed  at  the  zoo. 

No  good  is  gained  by  scolding  or  punishing  children  for  these 
mental  inaccuracies,  as  if  they  were  wilfully  falsifying.  Time 
and  training  will  teach  their  young  minds  the  distinction  be- 
tween these  different  departments  of  thought.  But  it  is  doubtful 
if  even  years  and  experience  are  able  fully  to  separate  these 
mental  powers;  and  herein  is  the  fruitful  field  for  the  birth  of 
imaginary  diseases,  the  production  of  unreal  troubles,  and  the 
creation  of  false  difficulties  —  fictitious  lions  and  bears  which 
await  us  in  the  highway  of  life,  and  which  become  just 
as  real  to  the  diseased  adult  mind  as  are  the  imaginary 
concepts  and  images  of  the  nursery  to  the  childish  mind  of  the 
infant. 

DANGERS   OF    DISEASED    IMAGINATION 

When  the  imagination  becomes  diseased,  when  the  phantasy 
unduly  influences  and  controls  the  mind,  it  is  not  difficult  to 
conceive  of  a  vicious  combination  of  mental  perversions  in 
which  the  self  drifts  aimlessly  over  an  imaginary  ocean,  beset 
with  unreal  dangers  and  threatened  with  false  reefs;  storm- 
tossed,  battered,  and  beaten  by  imaginary  winds;  living  in 
momentary  danger  of  fictitious  shipwreck  and  eternal  doom  — 
all  of  which  is  either  wholly  or  in  part  imaginary. 

What  is  to  hinder  the  imagination  from  setting  in  operation 
false  notions,  resurrecting  disagreeable  impressions,  and,  by  its 
well-known  powers  of  reconstruction,  creating  new  feelings 
and  strange  sensations  ?  If  you  once  had  a  disease  of  the 
stomach,  what  is  there  to  prevent  the  uncontrolled  imagination 
reporting  that  you  now  have  a  disease  in  the  liver;  or,  if  your 
neighbor  across  the  street  has  a  disease  of  the  spine,  what  can 
hinder  your  imagination  telling  you  that  you  also  have  a  dis- 
ease of  the  spine  ? 

The  imagination  is  the  creative  power  of  the  mind,  and  it  is 
not  always  exclusively  exercised  in  creating  labor-saving  ma- 
chinery and  improved  conditions  of  living,  but  it  is  also  often 


44         THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

engaged  in   creating  mischief,   fictitious   difficulties,   and  even 
false  diseases  and  unreal  disorders  of  the  body. 

It  is  self-evident  that  victims  of  a  diseased  imagination  need 
only  to  have  the  phantasy  arrested  and  the  current  of  imagina- 
tion turned  from  a  diseased  into  a  healthy  channel  —  and 
suddenly  they  find  themselves  v^^ell,  completely  cured.  The  tide 
of  imagination  was  running  against  the  health.  Imagination  is 
largely  susceptible  of  control,  and  so  when  its  powers  become 
subject  to  a  central  thought,  a  religious  conviction,  or  any 
other  dominant  idea,  the  imagination  is  directed  into  channels 
of  health  —  and  lo  !  an  apparent  miracle  has  been  wrought. 
Pain,  weakness,  sorrow,  and  a  host  of  other  afflictions  appar- 
ently real  in  their  physical  basis,  are  put  to  flight  —  they 
instantly  disappear;  and  so  we  here  get  a  glimpse  not  only  of 
how  much  sorrow  and  even  sickness  may  be  caused,  but  also 
how  they  are  ofttimes  cured. 

THE  PROCESS  OF  CONCEPTION 

As  we  ascend  upward  in  the  levels  of  consciousness,  our  per- 
cepts—  the  raw,  undigested  food  of  the  mind  —  reach  the 
level  of  conception.  Conception  is  that  power  of  the  mind 
which  takes  our  percepts  —  the  undigested  food  —  and  forms 
them  into  definite  concepts ;  and  it  may  also  weave  into  the  con- 
cepts our  own  ideas  or  mental  conclusions.  Conception  is  the 
process  of  mental  digestion,  in  reality  it  is  the  preparation  of 
our  mental  material  for  the  review  of  the  higher  mental  powers, 
such  as  judgment  and  reason.  This  act  of  analyzing  the  mental 
pictures  consists  of  four  parts,  and  comprises  the  fundamental 
process  of  thinking.  The  different  phases  of  conception  are: 
reflection,  comparison,  abstraction,  and  classification. 

First,  we  reflect,  and  reflection  is  the  first  step  in  the  digestive 
process  of  the  mind.  Then  we  compare,  we  recognize  points 
that  are  alike  and  those  that  are  unlike,  we  carefully  identify 
the  new  and  the  old  features  of  the  mental  picture.  As  we 
study,  we  abstract,  we  draw  out  the  properties  or  qualities  of 
our  images,  ascertain  if  they  are  large  or  small,  sweet  or  bitter, 
good  or  bad;  and  then  we  classify,  that  is,  we  endeavor  to 
arrange  in  an  orderly  fashion  our  newly  formed  concepts,  ac- 
cording to  certain  fixed  principles. 


PSYCHOLOGY  — HOW  WE  THINK  45 

We  now  leave  behind  the  percepts,  which  were  originally 
formed  out  of  our  physical  sensations.  From  now  on  we  are 
dealing  with  concepts,  and  concepts  may  be  defined  as  the 
symbols  used  to  represent  some  mental  image  or  material  thing. 
The  mental  food  may  no  longer  be  regarded  as  raw  or  un- 
digested—  it  has  now  been  subjected  to  mental  mastication 
and  digestion;  at  least  it  is  certainly  partially  digested,  and 
ready  to  pass  upward  into  the  higher  levels  of  consciousness. 

MISCONCEPTIONS 

And  again,  we  here  discern  many  opportunities  in  this  com- 
plicated process  of  mental  digestion  for  errors  and  inaccuracies 
to  creep  in.  What  if  we  fail  fully  to  reflect  or  properly  to 
compare  our  percepts  ?  Will  this  not  result  in  the  formation  of 
deformed  and  unhealthy  concepts  ?  Suppose  that  unreasoning 
fear  or  unwarranted  faith  should  dominate  the  mind  at  this 
particular  time  !  What  if  our  classifications  are  faulty  ?  Is  it 
not  easy  to  conceive  of  the  possibilities  of  intellectual  indiges- 
tion —  mental  dyspepsia  —  and  subsequent  suffering  and  distress 
of  mind  ?  Will  not  the  ideas  which  are  to  be  formed  out  of 
these  faulty  concepts  be  diseased  and  distorted  by  errors  in  the 
working  of  the  mental  machinery  at  this  point  ? 

Suppose  we  but  incompletely  abstract  the  qualities  of  our 
percepts,  or  but  partially  and  erroneously  classify  our  experi- 
ences—  will  not  these  blunders  lead  directly  to  errors  in 
judgment  and  mistakes  in  reason  ?  Will  not  such  errors  of 
thought  give  rise  to  illegitimate  and  unhealthy  ideas  ? 

And  so  we  begin  to  see  more  and  more  that  an  idea,  an 
experience,  a  sensation,  a  pain,  or  even  a  disease,  may  be 
wholly  unreal  —  that  it  does  not  follow  that  an  experience  is 
true  and  genuine  just  because  the  mind  accepts  it  as  true.  The 
mind  is  capable  of  almost  unlimited  deception,  monstrous  im- 
position, and  is  subject  to  innumerable  errors  of  internal 
working  and  inaccuracies  of  the  thinking  process. 

THE    POWERS    OF    MEMORY 

But  we  must  not  proceed  further  without  giving  proper 
consideration  to  that  wonderful  and  mysterious  realm  of  the 
mind  known  as  memory.  Memory  is  the  soul's  power  to  recog- 
nize and  hold  images  and  ideas.     It  is  the  realm  where  the 


46        THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  'AND  FEAR 

assimilated,  intellectual  food  is  stored  for  future  use.  Memory 
is  thought  by  some  to  retain  practically  everything  which 
passes  through  consciousness  —  percepts,  concepts,  and  ideas. 
Undoubtedly,  its  capacity  is  well-nigh  infinite.  Like  the  process 
of  conception,  memory  has  four  distinct  departments.  First, 
we  have  recollection^  the  door-keeper  of  memory  —  the  active 
power  of  memory  concerned  in  bringing  knowledge,  images, 
and  facts  back  into  the  working  consciousness.  Recollection  is 
a  sort  of  librarian  to  the  memory:  when  you  wish  to  recall  a 
fact  or  a  name,  recollection  goes  back  into  the  storehouse  of 
memory,  and  from  its  archives  brings  forth  the  fact  or  name 
desired. 

Recognition  —  the  second  power  of  memory  —  is  that  well- 
known  mental  feeling  of  familiarity  you  experience  when  you 
meet  something  you  have  met  before.  It  is  to  the  memory  a 
sort  of  bureau  of  identification,  scrutinizing  all  new  material 
and  recalling  whether  or  not  it  has  ever  before  passed  into  or 
through  memory. 

Retention  is  the  memory's  faculty  of  holding  facts  and 
images,  subject  to  future  recall.  This  function  is  probably 
made  possible  by  the  fact  that  every  impulse  which  passes  over 
a  nerve  wears  some  sort  of  a  track  —  creates  some  sort  of  a 
path  —  just  as  the  frequent  walking  over  the  lawn  creates  a 
trodden  path.  Our  mental  impressions  also  undoubtedly  make 
some  actual  physical  impression  upon  the  brain  cells.  And  now 
we  are  beginning  to  recognize  the  physical  basis  of  memory. 

Impression,  the  fourth  division  of  memory,  represents  the 
function  of  receiving  memory-material  and  recording  the 
intensity  or  degree  of  influence  it  exerts  upon  the  mind.  When 
the  impression  is  strong,  the  memory,  other  things  equal,  is 
good ;  when  the  impression  is  weak,  the  memory  is  usually  poor 
or  faulty. 

Memory,  being  the  mental  storehouse,  receives  the  percepts 
directly  from  perception.  It  has  knowledge  of  all  concepts 
and  images;  in  fact,  it  holds  the  transcripts  of  all  the  mental 
processes.  All  things  are  brought  to  it  —  sometimes  direct, 
sometimes  by  the  path  which  extends  through  the  association  of 
ideas. 


PSYCHOLOGY  — HOW  WE  THINK  47 

And  now  again,  in  the  study  of  memory,  we  are  brought  face 
to  face  with  many  possibilities  for  the  birth  of  false  impressions, 
the  creation  of  unreal  feelings,  and,  in  conjunction  with  im- 
agination, the  actual  construction  of  deceptive  ideas  and  the 
formation  of  false  ideals.  It  is  impossible  to  conceive  of  the 
possibilities  of  mind  deception,  extending  from  mental  delusions 
to  fictitious  physical  disease,  that  would  be  made  possible  by  a 
working  conspiracy  between  imagination  and  memory,  when 
both  these  mental  powers  are  irritated  and  diseased  by  a 
poisonous  blood  stream.  Untold  mischief  and  almost  unlimited 
torture  could  be  imposed  on  a  neurotic  person  already  suffering 
from  a  worn-out  and  self -poisoned  nervous  system. 

ASSOCIATION    OF   IDEAS 

The  product  of  the  mental  operations  is  now  approaching  the 
level  of  idea-formation.  About  this  time  in  the  mental  opera- 
tion, the  mysterious  process  of  idea-association  takes  place. 
This  mental  power  is  very  early  shown  in  the  development  of 
the  child's  mind.  The  process  is  usually  an  unconscious  one, 
but  may  be  highly  conscious.  The  association  of  ideas  may  be 
regarded  as  the  clearing-house  of  the  mind,  and  the  great 
majority  of  all  our  concepts  and  mental  images  pass  this  way 
en  route  to  the  higher  activities. 

Intuition  is  simply  the  spontaneous  association  of  ideas.  We 
commonly  speak  of  the  animal  as  having  instinct,  referring  to 
its  hereditary  knowledge.  In  man,  we  call  this  hereditary  or 
acquired  knowledge  which  so  strongly  influences  our  concepts 
through  the  channels  of  idea-association  and  imagination, 
intuition. 

What  unlimited  possibilities  must  exist  for  weal  or  for  woe 
in  the  confines  of  this  little-known  realm  of  idea-association  ! 
A  glance  at  the  thought-diagram  (Fig.  9)  will  suggest  the 
tremendous  possibilities  of  getting  wires  crossed,  messages 
tangled,  impulses  twisted ;  in  fact,  it  may  not  be  out  of  the  way 
to  imagine  thought-wrecks  and  other  mental  catastrophes  and 
confusions,  as  a  result  of  throwing  wrong  switches  or  mis- 
reading the  signals  in  this  important  realm  of  the  mind,  or 
from  failure  on  the  part  of  some  mental  power  to  do  its  work 
in  just  the  right  way  and  at  just  the  right  time. 


48        THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

Imagine  the  possibilities  for  mischief  when  a  good  or 
healthy  idea  is  seeking  to  reach  the  higher  levels  of  thought 
and  has  to  pass  this  way  through  a  group  of  bad,  diseased 
ideas.  What  is  usually  the  effect  of  the  association  of  one 
good  person  with  a  number  of  bad  persons  ?  Again,  suppose 
we  have  a  true  idea  which  must  struggle  through  this  area  of 
association  against  many  false  ideas,  have  we  any  assurance 
that  truth  will  always  triumph  in  this  mental  struggle  ?  Or, 
suppose  that  the  majority  of  the  thoughts  of  the  mind  are  about 
sickness  and  sorrow,  disease  and  distress;  will  they  not  eventu- 
ally succeed  in  polluting  the  whole  train  of  thought  ? 

INTELLECTUAL  HOUSE-CLEANING 

In  such  a  case,  it  would  require  one  of  two  things  to  afford 
deliverance  from  this  bondage  of  diseased  thought.  Either 
persistent  mental  training  carried  to  a  point  where  a  majority 
of  our  thoughts  are  healthy  and  wholesome;  or  the  acceptance 
of  a  powerful  and  all-embracing  idea  which  sweeps  through 
the  mind  with  absolute  conviction  and  utterly  vanquishes  every 
opposing  thought.  This  is  exactly  the  sort  of  intellectual 
house-cleaning  that  takes  place  when  one's  mind  is  converted 
to  a  new  way  of  thinking,  a  new  mode  of  life,  or  to  a  new 
religion. 

From  now  onward,  as  we  ascend  in  the  level  of  consciousness, 
we  are  dealing  entirely  with  ideas.  Our  percepts  having  been 
acted  upon  by  conception  —  mental  digestion  —  are  formed 
into  concepts,  and  after  receiving  the  contributions  of  imagina- 
tion and  memory,  these  newborn  concepts  are  introduced  to  the 
idea-community  of  the  mind,  in  the  realm  of  the  association  of 
ideas ;  after  which  they  ascend  upward  in  consciousness  to  take 
their  place  in  the  intellectual  struggle  after  the  fashion  of  full- 
grown  ideas.  An  idea,  in  this  sense,  may  be  defined  as  a 
mental  picture  or  conclusion  formulated  by  the  combined  action 
of  the  mental  powers  to  be  reviewed  by  judgment  and  reason. 

Fully  formed  ideas  now  enter  into  the  realm  of  idea  dis- 
crimination—  a  higher  centre  of  thought,  preliminary  to  the 
action  of  judgment  and  reason;  and  now  begins  the  intelligent 
scrutiny  of  the  revised  product  of  our  mental  operations,  after 
having  passed  through  the  association  of  ideas. 


PSYCHOLOGY  — HOW  WE  THINK  49 

JUDGMENT    AND   REASON 

Judgment  is  the  conscious  verdict  of  the  mind  which  is  ren- 
dered, following  the  operation  of  conception  and  the  other 
mental  powers.  The  judgment  may  deal  with  any  object  of 
consciousness.  It  may  concern  itself  with  things  or  with  ideas. 
The  judgment  is  the  formulator  of  facts,  the  constructor  of 
conclusions,  and  is  the  one  mental  power  to  benefit  especially 
by  educational  training.  Systematic  schooling  does  more  to 
train  and  develop  the  judgment  than  any  other  mental  power. 
The  value  of  education  consists  not  so  much  in  the  acquisition 
of  facts  as  in  the  proper  training  of  the  powers  of  judgment 
and  reason. 

But  suppose  that  the  judgment  is  poorly  trained!  What  if 
its  conclusions  are  unreliable  and  its  decrees  untrustworthy  ? 
The  higher  we  ascend  in  the  level  of  consciousness,  the  more 
disastrous  become  the  results  of  mistakes  and  errors  in  the 
working  of  the  mental  machinery.  Regardless  of  whether 
sensations,  perceptions,  conceptions,  and  ideas  are  real  or  false, 
healthy  or  diseased,  what  must  be  the  effect  on  the  health  of 
the  mind  and  body  if  judgment  blunders  ?  If  judgment  is 
deceived  and  deluded,  how  can  an  imaginary  disease  which 
afflicts  the  mind  and  torments  the  body  ever  be  cured  ?  Is 
it  not  possible  to  see  the  effects  of  mistaken  judgment  upon  the 
health  of  the  body  as  well  as  upon  the  success  of  our  financial 
enterprises  7 

When  judgment  has  "rendered  its  decision,  reason  begins 
the  work  of  analyzing  and  scrutinizing  these  judgment  de- 
crees; in  fact,  reason  may  be  defined  as  the  manipulation  of 
judgments.  It  is  a  process  of  comparison  and  discrimination. 
Its  business  is  the  hatching  of  new  judgments  out  of  old  judg- 
ments —  a  method  of  getting  new  truth  from  the  truth  already 
known. 

MAN    A    REASONING    ANIMAL 

Reason  is  a  mental  power  in  which  man  stands  preeminent 
above  the  brute  creation.  Recent  experiments  go  a  long  way 
toward  proving  that  animals  do  but  little  reasoning  in  con- 
nection with  their  mental  operations,  even  in  the  performance 
of  their  apparently  intelligent  feats  and  wonderful  tricks. 


50         THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

Man  is  the  reasoning  animal,  but  the  trouble  is  that  but  few 
people  fully  use  this  wonderful  power  of  the  human  mind. 
The  majority  of  us  do  but  little  reasoning;  and  that  is  why  the 
progress  of  civilization  is  so  slow,  why  the  causes  of  liberty 
and  freedom  are  so  backward.  Men  and  women  simply  will 
not  reason  consistently.  Again,  when  the  process  is  started, 
it  not  infrequently  works  in  the  wrong  direction.  Many  per- 
sons are  just  as  likely  to  reason  themselves  into  trouble  as  out 
of  trouble.  If  the  judgment  is  poor,  and  if  the  preceding 
mental  work  has  been  of  an  inferior  quality,  what  can  be 
expected  of  reason  ? 

Reason  is  altogether  too  easily  influenced  by  the  judgments 
which  are  passed  up  to  it.  Now  we  come  to  the  very  citadel 
of  the  mind,  to  the  very  mental  power  which  is  so  largely  con- 
cerned in  the  moral  cure  of  sickness  and  the  mental  cause  of 
disease. 

If  you  can  captivate  the  reason  with  a  single  idea,  paralyze 
it  with  erroneous  religious  teaching,  anaesthetize  it  with  some 
fascinating  and  deceptive  cult,  you  have  done  much  to  prepare 
the  way  for  the  production  of  spectacular  effects  in  mind 
cure  —  astonishing  results  in  the  line  of  recovery  from  dis- 
ease. On  the  other  hand,  it  must  be  easy  to  imagine  how 
quickly  one  can  reason  himself  into  mental  depression  and 
imaginary  physical  disease,  when  he  has  lost  perfect  control 
of  the  reasoning  powers,  or  when  suffering  from  perverted 
imagination  or  distortion  of  the  mind.  Some  of  the  causes  of 
his  troubles   may  have  been  wholly  physical   in   their  origin. 

THE  CROWNING  ACT  OF  THOUGHT 

Now  we  come  to  the  final  act  of  mental  operation.  Our 
thought  had  its  origin  in  the  body,  passing  up  through  the  vari- 
ous levels  of  consciousness  to  judgment  and  reason;  and, 
following  the  conclusions  of  reason,  the  mind  takes  the  final 
step,  that  of  choice.  Choice  or  affirmation  is  the  crowning  act 
of  thought.  It  really  represents  the  final  decree  of  combined 
judgment  and  reason,  and  when  reduced  to  writing  it  consti- 
tutes our  book  knowledge. 

This  mental  liberty  —  moral  freedom  —  is  the  glory  of  man. 
The  sensations  which  were  the  beginnings  of  thought  are  now 


I 


PSYCHOLOGY  — HOW  WE  THINK  51 

ripe  for  full  translation  into  actions,  the  end  of  t'hought.  Ac- 
tions are  the  execution  of  the  decrees  of  choice  or  affirmation 
by  the  order  of  the  will.  Our  acts  may  be  voluntary,  as  when 
we  deliberately  choose  to  do  one  thing  in  preference  to  another 
thing.  They  may  be  involuntary,  as  when  we  automatically  do 
a  thing  from  force  of  habit,  just  because  we  have  repeatedly 
done  that  same  thing  in  that  same  way;  or  our  actions  may 
be  reflex,  as  in  the  case  of  quickly  drawing  the  hand  away  from 
a  hot  stove.  The  mechanism  involved  in  this  act  was  fully 
explained  in  a  former  chapter. 

By  frequent  repetition,  physical  acts  result  in  the  formation 
of  habits,  and  habits  constitute  our  mode  of  life.  They  rep- 
resent the  kind  of  thinking  we  have  done,  they  stand  for  the 
thoughts  which  have  ripened  into  actions;  and  these  actions 
have  been  repeated  until  they  have  become  automatic,  reflex, 
unconscious,  and  sometimes  uncontrollable.  In  a  certain 
sense,  habit  may  be  regarded  as  physical  memory.  When 
conscious  acts  are  performed  thousands  of  times  they  become 
unconscious.  In  this  way  we  are  able  to  use,  as  it  were,  only 
the  interest  on  our  nerve   energy  and  not  the  principal. 

And  so  again,  we  see  how  the  mind  can  influence  the  body. 
Perverted  thinking,  wicked  living,  may  in  time  so  pervert  the 
nervous  system  and  bring  disease  upon  the  brain,  as  to  render 
the  higher  intelligence  well-nigh  helpless  in  the  work  of  coping 
with  intemperate  habits  and  vicious  passions.  And  so  when 
habits  of  pain,  of  fear,  of  suffering,  of  vice,  or  of  disease, 
are  once  formed,  it  is  exceedingly  difficult  to  break  the  bind- 
ing fetters  forged  by  the  long-continued  and  daily  repetition 
of  physical  impressions  and  sensations.  In  such  cases,  it  ac- 
tually seems  as  if  a  new  mind  of  health  and  strength  must  be 
provided,  which  will  prove  sufficiently  strong  and  powerful  to 
take  the  place  of  the  old  mind  of  weakness  and  disease,  before 
the  patient  can  hope  to  find  deliverance  from  the  bondage  of 
mental  disease  and  the  thraldom  of  physical  vice. 

(The  will,  conscience,  and  character  are  further  considered  in 
Chapter  VI,  which  see.  A  summary  of  the  matter  contained 
in  this  chapter  will  be  found  in  the  next  chapter.) 


CHAPTER  V 

KEY   TO    DIAGRAM    OF   PSYCHOLOGY 

The  following  key  is  in  explanation  of  the  diagram  (Fig.  9) 
illustrating  the  action  of  the  mind  in  the  elaboration  of 
thought,  and  is  to  be  read  with  reference  thereto. 

1.  Man:    Body,  Soul,  and  Spirit. 

"  I  pray  God  your  whole  spirit  and  soul  and  body  may  be 
preserved  blameless." 

2.  Truth:     Principles  or  facts  which  are  uncontradictory ;  conclu- 

sions which  are  fundamental ;  teaching  which  is  ultimate ; 
and  facts  which  are  universal  in  application.  Truth  is  the 
real  food  of  the  mind. 

3.  Error:     Truth    which    is    perverted,    adulterated,    misstated,    or 

otherwise  distorted. 

4.  Sensation:     The  conscious  recognition  by  the  mind  of  impres- 

sions made  upon  a  sense  organ. 

5.  Feelings:    An  attribute  or  universal  accompaniment  of  sensation. 

6.  Consciousness:     A  state  of  awareness.     The  power  of  attention 

and  recognition.  The  recognition  of  physical  sensations  and 
mental  operations,  in  which  all  are  bound  together  and  unified. 

7.  Attention:     The  selective  activity  of  consciousness  or  mind. 

a.  The  outer  or  sensory  attention  is  the  awakening  of  mental 

activity  by  means  of  sensory  impressions. 

b.  The  inner  or  ideational  attention  is  the  awakening  of  men- 

tal activity  by  the  presence  of  an  idea  or  a  combination 
of  ideas. 
The  inner  attention  is  the  threshold  of  the  reflective  powers. 
It  is  the  door  of  real  thinking  —  the  eye  of  the  mind. 

8.  Perception:    The  process  of  forming  percepts  out  of  sensations 

and  feelings  —  intellectual  mastication. 

9.  Percepts:     Sensations  are  translated  into  percepts  in  conscious- 

ness.   Percepts  are  the  raw  or  undigested  food  of  the  mind. 
10.  Images:     Symbols  chosen  to  represent  the  perceptions  which  are 
formed  out  of  sensations  and  feelings. 


KEY  TO  DIAGRAM 


53 


11.  Emotions:     The  feeling  of  bodily   (visceral)   changes  going  on 

in  the  presence  of  an  unusual  situation. 

12.  Imagination:    The  creative  power  of  the  mind.    It  works  up  our 

experiences  into  new  forms;  creates  ideals  out  of  ideas,  etc. 
This  is  creative  imagination.  Another  form  —  reproductive 
imagination  —  is  a  specialized  function  of  memory. 

13.  Phantasy   (not  fancy)  :     The   safety-valve  of   the    mind.     The 

play-house  of  memory.  'Expressed  in  daydreams  and  day 
reveries.    The  self  adrift. 

14.  Conception:    The  power  of  forming  concepts  out  of  percepts  or 

from  mental  conclusions.  The  preparation  of  our  mental  ma- 
terial for  the  review  of  judgment  and  reason.  This  act  of 
analyzing  our  mental  pictures  consists  of  four  parts,  and  com- 
prises the  real  process  of  thinking  or  mental  digestion. 

a.  Reflection  —  the  first  step  in  the  digestive  process  of  the 

mind. 

b.  CompaVison  points  out  the  like  and  the  unlike.    Identifi- 

cation of  new  and  old. 

c.  Abstraction  —  drawing  out  properties  and  qualities. 

d.  Classification  —  orderly  arrangement,   according  to   fixed 

principles,  of  the  abstracted  qualities,  ideas,  or  facts. 

15.  Concepts:    Symbols   used  to  represent   some  mental    image  or 

material  thing.  Conception  is  the  process  of  forming  these 
concepts.  They  originate  within  the  mind,  and  represent  the 
partially  or  wholly  digested  intellectual  pabulum. 

16.  Memory:     The  soul's  power  to  recognize  and  hold  images  and 

ideas.  Probably  it  retains  everything  which  has  passed 
through  consciousness  —  percepts,  concepts,  etc.  Its  capacity 
is  well-nigh  infinite.  Memory  is  manifested  through  four  dif- 
ferent processes: 

a.  Recollection  —  the    door-keeper   of  memory.    The   active 

power  of  memory  concerned  in  bringing  knowledge  and 
images  back  into  consciousness. 

b.  Recognition  —  the  feeling  of  familiarity  in  meeting  some- 

thing you  have  met  before. 

c.  Retention  —  the  holding  of  facts  and  images  subject  to 

future  recall. 

d.  Impression  —  the   reception  of  memory-matter  of  varied 

intensity. 

17.  Association  of  Ideas:     Usually  an  unconscious  process,  but  may 

be  highly  conscious.    The  clearing-house  of  the  mind.    Nearly 


54         THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

all  concepts  and  mental  images  pass  this  way  en  route  to  the 
higher  activities. 

Intuition  is  spontaneous  association  of  ideas,  hereditary  or 
acquired  knowledge  influencing  our  concepts  through  the 
channel  of  idea-association  and  imagination. 
i8.  Ideas:  An  idea  is  a  mental  picture  or  conclusion  formulated  by 
the  combined  action  of  the  mental  powers  to  be  reviewed  by 
judgment  and  reason. 

19.  Idea-Discrimination:     A  higher  centre  of  thought  —  a  complex 

process  of  thought-discrimination  consisting  of,  or  preliminary 
to,  judgment  and  reason.  The  scrutiny  of  the  revised  product 
of  our  mental  operations. 

20.  Judgment:    The  conscious  verdict  rendered  following  the  opera- 

tion of  conception  and  other  mental  powers.  This  verdict 
may  concern  any  object  of  consciousness  —  things  or  ideas. 
The  formulator  of  facts.     The  great  beneficiary  of  education. 

21.  Reason:     The  manipulation  of  judgments.    The  process  of  com- 

paring, discriminating,  and  hatching  new  judgments  out  of 
old  judgments.  The  method  of  getting  new  truth  from  the 
truth  already  known. 

22.  AMrmation:    The  crowning  act  of  thought.     The  final  decree  of 

combined  judgment  and  reason.  Reduced  to  writing  it  con- 
stitutes our  book  knowledge. 

23.  Actions:    The  execution  of  the  decrees  of  choice  or  affirmation, 

by  order  of  the  will.     They  may  be : 

a.  Voluntary. 

b.  Involuntary. 

1.  Automatic. 

2.  Reflex. 

24.  Habits:    The  mode  of  life  —  actions  repeated  until  they  become 

automatic,  reflex,  unconscious,  or  uncontrollable. 

25.  Character:     The  real  individual.     The  grand  sum  of  sensations 

—  ideas  —  memory  —  imagination  —  discrimination  —  af- 
firmation—  willing  and  doing  —  the  finished  material  picture 
of  the  invisible  mental  painter. 

26.  Conscience:     A  guide  to  conduct  and  thought,  having  for  its 

basis,  our  hereditary  and  acquired  mental  and  moral  attitudes. 
It  is  the  voice  of  the  spirit  to  the  will.  It  is  the  essence  or 
breath  of  the  spirit  —  moral  instinct.  It  imparts  divine  dignity 
to  man  and  distinguishes  him  from  the  animal. 

27.  Temptation:    The  insinuations  of  evil.    The  acquired,  hereditary, 


KEY  TO  DIAGRAM  55 

or  suggested  tendencies  to  depart  from  the  way  of  right  as 
dictated  by  the  conscience. 

28.  The  Spirit:     The  divine  source  of  our  higher  emotions  and  af- 

fections. Judgment  —  ofttimes  spontaneous  —  determines  the 
right  for  the  mind,  and  conscience  prompts  the  will  to  order 
the  execution  of  judgment's  decrees. 

29.  The  Will:     Consists  of  several  forms: 

o.  Sensory-motor  will. 

b.  Idea-motor  will. 

c.  Inner-impulse  will. 

d.  Intelligent  and  deliberate  will. 

The  will  is  the  supreme  court  of  the  mind.  The  final  arbiter 
of  choice.  Has  knowledge  of  and  also  includes  all  mental 
operations.  It  represents  the  combined  spiritual,  mental,  and 
nervous  forces  brought  to  bear  upon  the  mind  or  body  to  di- 
rect them  in  the  channels  of  choice. 

30.  Psychology:    The  study  of  analyzable  mental  processes  as  influ- 

enced by  the  body,  mental  operations,  or  moral  instincts.  The 
study  of  the  combined  operation  of  the  mind  and  spirit  as 
influenced  by  the  body.  An  examination  of  the  operation  of 
our  mental  powers.  A  classification  of  the  laws  of  our  mental 
life. 


CHAPTER   VI 

THE  SUPREME  COURT  OF  THE  MIND 

The  sovereign  will. —  The  will  and  the  mind. —  Man   a 

RESPONSIBLE      BEING. ThE      WILL      AND      THE      BODY. VlTAL 

WORK    AND   THE    WILL. —  CHARACTER    AND    CONSCIENCE. SUM- 
MARY OF  THE  CHAPTER. 

IN  the  two  preceding  chapters,  the  will  has  been  given  gen- 
eral consideration.  The  time  has  now  come  to  study  care- 
fully the  nature  and  operation  of  will-power.  As  already 
noted,  the  will  is  the  supreme  court  of  the  human  mind,  and 
it  is  as  such  a  tribunal  of  last  resort  that  we  shall  proceed  to 
examine  this  remarkable  human  attribute. 

THE    SOVEREIGN    WILL 

Reference  to  the  thinking-diagram  (Fig.  9.)  will  show  at  a 
glance  that  the  will  embraces  the  entire  realm  of  our  mental 
operations.  While  this  is  true,  we  must  recognize  that  we 
really  have  four  distinct  forms  or  degrees  of  will-power. 
First,  we  have  the  sensory-motor  will;  that  is  the  will-power 
which  is  aroused  and  acts  as  a  result  of  having  the  sensations 
stimulated,  and  which  then  chooses  a  certain  course  of  conduct 
as  the  result  of  the  sensations  experienced.  Second,  the  idea- 
motor  will,  which  causes  the  body  to  be  set  in  operation  as 
the  result  of  an  idea  hatched  out  in  the  mind.  Third,  the 
will  that  is  aroused  by  spontaneous  impulses  born  within 
the  mind;  and,  fourth,  the  will-action  which  accompanies  the 
intelligent  and  deliberate  making  up  of  the  mind  to  do  a  cer- 
tain thing,  and  this  probably  represents  the  strongest  action 
of  the  will-power  —  the  complete  action. 

The  will  is  the  final  arbiter  of  choice.  It  holds  the  balance 
of  power  in  all  mental  operations.  Its  strength  determines 
whether  or  not  the  body  can  be  compelled  to  carry  out  the 

56 


SUPREME  COURT  OF  THE  MIND  57 

orders  of  the  mind.  The  man  with  the  strong  will  has  the 
body  under  the  control  of  his  own  mind.  The  man  with  a 
weak  will  may  have  a  mind  controlled  by  the  appetites  and 
passions  of  the  body;  while  one  with  a  diseased  will  may  find 
himself  partially  or  wholly  under  the  control  of  another  mind. 
The  will  has  knowledge  of  and  also  includes  all  mental 
operations. 

The  will  represents  the  combined  spiritual,  mental,  and 
nervous  forces  brought  to  bear  upon  mind  and  body  to  direct 
them  in  the  channels  of  choice  and  conscientious  conviction. 

The  will  may  be  said  to  hear  the  voice  of  conscience  and  to 
receive  the  insinuations  of  evil.  It  is  the  clearing-house  of  the 
soul  in  the  struggle  between  mind  and  matter.  The  will  rep- 
resents the  supreme  conclusions  and  the  final  effort  of  the 
mind,  and  it  should  be  remembered  that  merely  wishing  is  not 
willing.     The  will  is  the  battle-ground  of  character  formation. 

The  will  is  not  a  distinct  mental  power  in  the  sense  that 
judgment,  reason,  memory,  etc.,  are  powers  of  the  mind.  The 
will  represents  to  the  mind  what  the  sum  total  does  to  a  column 
of  figures.  It  is  the  master-builder  of  character  and  the  arch- 
itect of  eternal  destiny. 

THE    WILL    AND    THE    MIND 

Man  is  not  a  mere  machine,  not  even  an  intelligent  machine. 
Machines  can  perform  only  the  work  for  which  they  are  con- 
structed, they  are  not  responsible.  Man  is  in  the  highest  sense 
responsible  for  his  acts  and  habits;  he  has  a  will  and  possesses 
the  power  of  choice.  The  majority  of  animals  are  quite  de- 
pendent on  their  instincts  and  on  the  stimuli  which  reach  their 
brains  from  the  sensory  nerves,  but  man  is  able  to  direct  himself 
according  to  the  choosing  of  his  own  will.  While  reason  may 
be  the  highest  act  of  the  mind  itself,  practical  experience  goes 
to  prove  the  reason,  in  fact  the  entire  mind,  is  ever  subserv- 
ient to  that  mighty  sovereign  of  the  personality  —  the  will. 

We  may  rent  our  minds  for  a  consideration,  we  may  let 
out  our  intellects  for  hire,  but  no  man  ever  leases  his  will  to 
another.  The  will  is  inseparable  from  the  personality.  Rea- 
son is  simply  the  attorney-general  of  the  mind,  appearing 
before  the  supreme  court  of  the  will.     How  frequently  we  see 


58        THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

men  who  persistently  hold  on  to  certain  opinions  which  are 
contrary  to  all  reason.  They  will  so  to  think,  and  you  may  be 
sure  that  such  persons  will  see  to  it  that  their  servile  rea- 
soning powers  furnish  them  with  abundant,  and,  to  themselves, 
satisfactory  reasons  for  their  positions. 

No  man  is  responsible  for  the  thoughts  which  enter  the 
mind,  but  all  men  are  responsible  for  the  thoughts  which  are 
allowed  to  remain  in  the  mind,  for  the  will  has  complete  and 
full  jurisdiction  over  the  entire  intellect.  The  will  can  com- 
mand the  brain  to  think  as  it  may  direct,  just  as  the  mind 
possesses  the  power  to  direct  the  spinal  cord  to  execute  the 
physical  movements  which  the  brain  may  order.  All,  then, 
of  the  mental  powers  are  coordinate  and  cooperative,  while 
the  will  stands  out  as  the  ranking  officer  of  the  whole  intellect, 
wielding  the  combined  powers  of  direction,  decision,  and 
discipline. 

MAN    A   RESPONSIBLE   BEING 

Because  man  has  this  splendid  endowment  of  will,  he  at 
once  becomes  a  creature  of  personal  responsibility,  and  it  is 
therefore  incumbent  upon  him  to  exhibit  a  reasonable  degree  of 
self-possession,  self-restraint,  and  self-control.  Again,  the  will 
appears  as  the  governor  of  the  rate  of  mental  activity.  The 
mind  with  a  weak  will  thinks  rapidly  and  superficially.  The 
strong  will  compels  deep,  deliberate,  and  logical  thought. 
When  the  mind  is  not  inhibited  by  the  will,  it  roams  about  aim- 
lessly from  one  end  of  the  world  to  the  other.  It  resembles 
a  horse  which  has  thrown  its  rider.  Such  a  mind  soon  degen- 
erates to  the  mere  animal  level  —  ever  changing  its  course  of 
thought  with  the  constantly  changing  nerve  impressions  which 
are  brought  to  the  brain  over  the  sensory  nervous  system.  It 
requires  downright  hard  work  —  constant  effort  —  to  keep  the 
mind  at  work  under  the  direction  of  the  will.  Without  con- 
stant supervision  by  the  will,  the  mind  wanders  aimlessly  in 
the  midst  of  the  pleasant  scenes  of  its  own  imagination.  And 
it  is  just  because  we  have  so  little  will-thought  that  most  of  the 
mental  energy  of  the  world  runs  to  waste,  and  all  classes  of 
society  are  overrun  with  idle  dreamers.  The  divine  gift  of 
mental  freedom  carries  the  penalty  of  moral  responsibility. 


SUPREME  COURT  OF  THE  MIND  59 

THE    WILL    AND    THE    BODY 

The  body,  it  would  seem,  has  little  objection  to  doing  work 
at  the  request  of  the  mind  or  sympathetic  nervous  system;  but 
it  seriously  objects  to  the  performance  of  special  physical  tasks 
by  order  of  the  will.  To  illustrate:  there  are  numerous  lines 
of  physical  work  such  as  breathing,  the  beating  of  the  heart, 
the  muscular  action  of  the  stomach  and  intestines,  all  of 
which  are  cheerfully  carried  on  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave, 
with  scarcely  a  murmur  on  the  part  of  the  body.  In  contrast 
with  these  incessant  activities  of  the  involuntary  muscular 
mechanism  of  the  body,  let  it  be  noted  how  quickly  and  pro- 
foundly the  voluntary  muscles  are  tired  out  and  fatigued  when 
the  body  is  performing  certain  set  tasks  of  work  under  the 
direction  of  the  will. 

The  combined  muscular  work  of  breathing  has  been  esti- 
mated as  equivalent  to  raising  several  hundred  pounds  one 
inch,  with  each  deep  inspiration.  The  mind  and  body  work 
together  to  effect  the  performance  of  this  gigantic  muscular 
task  about  twenty  times  a  minute  from  infancy  to  old  age,  and 
yet  we  never  get  tired  out  or  fatigued  from  breathing.  This 
one  illustration  is  amply  sufficient  to  show  that  it  requires  some- 
thing else  besides  physical  work  to  exhaust  the  muscles.  The 
muscles  directed  from  the  centres  in  the  medulla  are  never 
allowed  to  slumber  or  sleep,  they  are  in  comparatively  con- 
stant action;  and  so  the  nerve  centres  of  the  sympathetic 
nervous  system  are  in  unceasing  action  throughout  life. 

What,  then,  is  it  that  causes  the  voluntary  muscles  and  the 
central  nervous  system  so  quickly  to  wear  out  and  break  down  ? 
There  seems  but  one  answer  to  this  question.  The  body  seems 
able  to  perform  almost  unlimited  and  continuous  service  when 
such  effort  involves  only  natural  and  instinctive  routine  work; 
but  the  moment  nerves  and  muscles  are  compelled  to  execute 
the  mandates  of  the  will  —  the  moment  the  body  is  ordered 
into  the  harness  for  the  performance  of  definite  work,  the 
moment  the  physical  energies  become  subject  to  the  direction 
and  authority  of  the  will  —  the  whole  organism  begins  to  show 
evidence  of  being  worked  by  some  power  external  and  foreign 
to  itself,  as  exhibited  by  increasing  weariness,  fatigue,  and, 


6o         THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

eventually,    actual    painful    protest;    and    ultimately,    if    not 
allowed  suitable  rest,  by  exhaustion  and  death. 

VITAL  WORK  AND  THE  WILL 

As  long  as  the  body  works  only  in  response  to  the  mandates 
of  the  medulla,  it  is  simply  doing  vital  work,  and  it  cheerfully 
performs  all  such  tasks  without  protest  and  without  fatigue; 
but  the  instant  the  will  orders  arms  and  legs  into  action  under 
its  direction,  that  becomes  work,  muscular  labor,  and  the  body 
will  not  serve  the  will  as  it  serves  itself.  It  is  not  natural 
work  that  tires  the  body  and  exhausts  the  nerves,  it  is  only 
conscious  effort  that  wears  and  tears.  Likewise,  you  day- 
dream without  a  sense  of  mind  effort  or  mental  weariness, 
but  the  very  moment  you  tighten  the  intellectual  reins  and 
begin  to  guide  the  mind  into  definite  lines  of  thought  and 
study,  that  very  moment  the  brain  begins  to  groan  under  the 
burdens  imposed  upon  it  and  soon  makes  a  definite  outcry  for 
i:est  and  recreation. 

The  very  fact  that  will-work  so  soon  exhausts  both  mind 
and  body,  very  strongly  suggests  that  the  will  is  not  a  mere 
mental  power.  It  is  conscious  work  and  will-power  that 
wearies  us  and  renders  slec^  so  essential  to  the  restoration 
of  our  depleted  energies. 

CHARACTER    AND    CONSCIENCE 

The  character  is  the  real  individual.  It  is  the  grand  sum  of 
sensations,  percepts,  concepts,  ideas,  memory,  imagination, 
discrimination,  judgment,  reason,  affirmation,  willing,  and  do- 
ing. It  is  the  finished  material  picture  of  the  invisible  mental 
painter.  The  character  is  the  combination  of  our  physical 
habits  and  our  mental  operations.  It  determines  the  tempera- 
ment, the  morality,  and  the  reliability  of  the  individual.  Our 
character  is  shown  by  our  honesty,  our  spirituality,  our  self- 
control,  our  speech,  and  by  our  affections. 

Character  formation  represents  the  grand  and  sublime  pur- 
pose of  life,  and  character  formation  is  determined  by  our 
every  thought,  word,  and  action. 

The  formation  of  character  is  influenced  not  only  by  the 
process  of  thinking  carried  on  within  the  mind,  and  its  re- 
sultant physical  acts,  and  the  habits  thereby  formed,  but  also 


SUPREME  COURT  OF  THE  MIND  6i 

by  the  spiritual  powers  —  the  higher  moral  influences  to  which 
the  mind  of  man  is  subject,  in  contradistinction  to  the  mind 
of  the  animal. 

Man  has  a  conscience.  The  conscience  cannot  be  described 
as  a  separate  mental  power.  It  is  the  spiritual  or  moral  guide 
to  conduct  and  thought,  having  for  its  basis  our  hereditary  and 
acquired  mental  attitudes  and  moral  standards.  It  is  the  spir- 
itual voice,  speaking  to  the  will.  The  conscience  is  man's 
moral  instinct.  It  imparts  divine  dignity  to  the  man,  and  for- 
ever distinguishes  him  from  the  animal. 

The  conscience  is  ever  subject  to  education,  and  therefore 
it  must  never  be  looked  upon  as  an  infallible  and  unerring 
guide  to  conduct.  The  heathen  is  just  as  conscientious  in  pray- 
ing to  an  idol  as  the  Christian  is  in  worshipping  a  personal 
God.  The  devout  Hindoo  mother  is  just  as  conscientious  in 
throwing  her  innocent  babe  into  the  mouth  of  the  crocodile  as  is 
the  Christian  missionary  in  his  efforts  to  save  her  benighted 
soul. 

The  character  is  influenced  in  its  formation  not  only  by 
the  heed  we  pay  to  conscience,  but  also  by  the  insinuations  of 
evil,  commonly  known  as  temptation;  and  these  unfavorable 
influences  represent  our  acquired,  hereditary,  and  suggested 
tendencies  to  depart  from  the  way  of  right  as  recognized  by 
the  mind  and  dictated  by  the  conscience. 

And  so  we  must  recognize  that  man  is  a  spiritual  being  as 
well  as  an  intelligent  animal.  The  primitive  man  is  always 
religious,  he  universally  worships  something.  Absolute  irre- 
ligion  is  only  the  product  of  artificial  training  and  miseduca- 
tion.  The  spirit  which  operates  upon  the  mind  of  man 
constitutes  the  divine  source  of  our  higher  emotions  and 
affections.  Judgment,  ofttimes  spontaneously,  determines  the 
right  for  the  mind;  and  conscience  prompts  the  will  to  order 
the  execution  of  judgment's  decrees. 

THE    SUMMARY    OF    THE    CHAPTER 

I.  The  will  is  the  supreme  court  of  the  human  mind  —  the 
*'  I  DO  "  of  the  personality.  The  will  consists  of  four  distinct 
degrees:  (a)  Sensory-motor  will,  (b)  Idea-motor  will,  (c) 
Spontaneous-impulse  will,     (d)    Deliberate-thought  will. 


62        THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

2.  The  will  is  the  final  arbiter  of  choice.  It  holds  the  bal- 
ance of  power  in  all  mental  operations.  The  will  is  not  a 
distinct  mental  power.  It  represents  to  the  mind  what  the  sum 
total  does  to  a  column  of  figures. 

3.  The  will  represents  the  combined  spiritual,  mental,  and 
nervous  forces  brought  to  bear  upon  mind  and  body  to  direct 
them  in  the  channels  of  choice  and  conscientious  conviction. 

4.  The  will  is  the  master-builder  of  character,  and  the  arch- 
itect of  eternal  destiny.  It  has  knowledge  of,  and  also 
includes,  all  mental  operations. 

5.  Man  is,  in  the  biggest  sense,  a  responsible  being.  Rea- 
son—  the  entire  mind  —  is  ever  subservient  to  that  mighty 
sovereign  of  the  personality  —  the  will. 

6.  Men  rent  their  intellects  for  hire,  but  no  man  ever  leases 
his  will  to  another.  The  will  is  inseparable  from  the  person- 
ality. Reason  is  the  attorney-general  arguing  before  the 
supreme  court  of  the  will. 

7.  The  will  can  command  and  control  the  intellect,  just  as  the 
mind  has  power  to  direct  the  spinal  cord  to  execute  the  phys- 
ical movements  which  the  brain  may  order.  The  will  is  the 
ranking  officer  of  the  personality. 

8.  Weakness  of  will  predisposes  to  superficial  and  rapid 
thinking.  A  strong  will  compels  deep,  deliberate,  and  logical 
thought.  When  the  mind  is  not  controlled  by  the  will,  it  is 
comparable  to  a  horse  which  has  thrown  its  rider. 

9.  It  is  because  we  have  so  little  will-thought  that  the  mental 
energy  of  the  world  runs  to  waste,  and  society  is  overrun  with 
idle  and  useless  dreamers. 

10.  The  physical  body  seems  to  be  able  to  endure  almost 
continuous  exertion  when  its  energies  are  employed  in  execut- 
ing natural  and  necessary  vital  work,  as  in  breathing  or  in  heart 
action. 

11.  It  is  only  conscious  effort  that  tires  and  exhausts  the 
body.  The  body  wears  out  only  when  it  is  harnessed  up  and 
worked  by  the  will. 

12.  Likewise,  the  mind  will  daydream  forever  without  con- 
scious weariness,  but  when  forced  to  definite  study  by  orders 
of  the  will,  the  brain  soon  groans  under  its  burdens  and  clamors 
for  rest  or  recreation. 


SUPREME  COURT  OF  THE  MIND  63 

13.  Character  is  the  real  individual,  it  is  the  grand  sum  of 
intellectual  operations,  moral  aspirations,  and  physical  per- 
formances. It  is  the  finished  material  picture  of  the  invisible 
mental  painter. 

14.  Character-formation  represents  the  grand  and  sublime 
purpose  of  life.  Character  is  determined  by  our  every 
thought,  word,  and  action. 

15.  Conscience  is  our  moral  guide  to  conduct,  having  for  its 
basis  our  hereditary  and  acquired  mental  attitudes  and  moral 
standards.  Conscience  is  subject  to  education.  It  is  not  an 
infallible  guide. 


CHAPTER  VII 
PHASES  OF  CONSCIOUSNESS 

SUPRACONSCIOUSNESS,  OR  THE  SPIRITUAL  MIND. —  ThE  CENTRAL 
CONSCIOUSNESS. —  ThE  MARGINAL  CONSCIOUSNESS,  OR  SUB- 
CONSCIOUS MIND. —  The  dual  nature  of  mind. —  The  mar- 
ginal CONSCIOUSNESS  IN  HEALTH  AND  IN  DISEASE. —  ThE 
marginal  CONSCIOUSNESS  AND  THE  BODY. —  ThE  THREE 
PLANES  OF  CONSCIOUSNESS. —  ThE  SPIRITUAL  CONSCIOUSNESS. 
—  The  INTELLECTUAL  CONSCIOUSNESS. —  ThE  PHYSICAL  CON- 
SCIOUSNESS.—  The       threefold     nature     of     man. —  The 

DOUBLE  function  OF  ONE  MIND. —  COMPARISON  OF  THE  CEN- 
TRAL AND  MARGINAL  CONSCIOUSNESSES. —  SUMMARY  OF  THE 
CHAPTER. 

IT  is  a  well-known  fact  that  the  human  mind  is  capable  of 
various  degrees  of  attention.  It  is  possible  to  have  all  the 
mental  powers  directly  focussed  upon  a  single  thought.  It  is 
also  possible  for  the  mind  to  wander,  the  attention  may  be 
more  or  less  diffused,  and  the  intellectual  state  may  very 
closely  approach  the  dreamy  borderland  of  reverie  and 
phantasy. 

These  different  phases  of  consciousness  are  diagrammatically 
shown  in  Fig.  lo.  Both  sound  and  light  are  taken  as  material 
illustrations  of  the  different  degrees  of  consciousness. 

SUPRACONSCIOUSNESS,   OR  THE   SPIRITUAL    MIND 

While  it  cannot  be  conclusively  demonstrated  by  the  laws 
of  physiology  and  psychology,  nevertheless,  the  evidence  abun- 
dantly justifies  the  belief  in  a  spiritual  consciousness.  The 
moral  mind  is  a  sort  of  spiritual  intelligence;  it  might  be  re- 
garded as  the  voice  which  speaks  through  conscience  —  the 
voice  or  influence  speaking  or  acting  through  the  conscientious 
element  of  the  mind. 

Reference  to  the  diagram   (Fig.   lo)   will  show  that  when 

64 


PHASES  OF  CONSCIOUSNESS  65 

sound  vibrations  are  more  than  41,000  per  second,  they  are  not 
recognized  by  the  ear.  We  do  not  hear  such  rapid  air  vibra- 
tions, and  these  we  have  termed  supra-auditory  vibrations  — 
vibrations  which  can  be  detected  by  certain  instruments  of 
precision  although  they  are  not  recognized  by  the  ear  or  by 
the  hearing  centres  of  the  brain.  Likewise,  we  have  supra- 
visual  oscillations  of  light  —  the  ultra-violet  rays.  The  actinic 
or  chemical  rays  of  sunlight  belong  to  this  class.  They  are 
unrecognized  by  the  eye,  yet  they  are  real  and  are  abundantly 
able  to  produce  sunburns  which  are  plainly  visible  the  follow- 
ing day.  And  so  it  is  clear  that  we  have  certain  forms  of 
light  and  sound  which  the  eye  and  the  ear  fail  to  recognize. 
May  it  not  be  possible  that  we  have  to  deal  with  spiritual  in- 
fluences which  are  not  directly  recognized  by  the  so-called 
intellectual  mind,  but  which  are  clearly  understood  and  recog- 
nized by  the  spiritual  or  supraconscious  mind  ? 

THE    CENTRAL    CONSCIOUSNESS 

By  the  centrjl  consciousness,  we  refer  to  the  intellectual 
mind,  the  conscious  mind,  the  voice  of  reason.  Referring 
again  to  the  diagram  (Fig.  10),  we  observe  that  when  air 
vibrations  range  from  16  to  41,000  per  second,  they  are  recog- 
nized by  the  ear  and  interpreted  by  the  mind  as  sound.  Like- 
wise, with  the  oscillations  of  light,  when  they  range  from  699 
billions  per  second  down  to  about  477  billions,  the  sense  of 
sight,  through  the  eye,  takes  cognizance  of  the  oscillations  and 
they  are  recognized  by  the  brain  centres  as  light. 

And  so  we  have  various  mental  processes  going  on  in  the 
mind  which  are  entirely  conscious  and  wholly  intellectual. 
May  we  not  also,  as  illustrated  by  the  special  senses  of  sight 
and  hearing,  have  mental  processes  going  on  in  the  mind  which 
are  outside  of  the  realm  of  the  central  consciousness,  and 
which  are  therefore  unconscious  in  the  sense  that  they  are  not 
definitely  recognized  by  the  mind  ?  Such  processes  might  be 
regarded  as  supraconscious  —  above  the  usual  intellectual  ac- 
tivities—  the  voice  of  conscience  or  the  spiritual  perceptions; 
and  as  subconscious  —  below  the  level  of  the  ordinary  activ- 
ities of  the  mind  —  the  marginal  consciousness  —  the  voice  of 
instinct  or  intuition. 


66         THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

THE   MARGINAL   CONSCIOUSNESS,    OR   SUBCONSCIOUS   MIND 

As  we  have  a  central  consciousness,  so  we  have  also  a  mar- 
ginal consciousness.  When  sound  waves  come  down  to  six- 
teen per  second  or  less,  we  have  what  might  be  called  sub- 
auditory  vibrations.  We  do  not  hear  a  sound,  we  recognize 
only  separate  beats.  And  so  when  the  oscillations  of  light 
are  less  than  those  giving  rise  to  redness,  we  have  the  so- 
called  infra-red  rays  of  light  or  heat.  These  might  also  be 
called  sub-visual  oscillations,  as  they  are  not  discerned  by  the 
eye. 

In  the  mind,  when  the  consciousness  becomes  diffused  to  a 
certain  point,  when  the  concentration  of  the  mental  powers 
becomes  scattered  to  a  certain  degree,  when  we  get  so  far  out 
from  the  centre  of  thinking  that  we  fail  properly  to  hold  the 
various  elements  and  factors  of  thought  in  the  eye  of  the  atten- 
tion, or  when  we  are  merely  acting  from  force  of  habit,  we 
find  that  our  actions  arise  largely  from  impulses  originating 
in  the  unconscious  areas  of  the  mind.  A  person  so  doing 
may  be  said  to  be  acting  in  obedience  to  the  voice  of  instinct 
speaking  through  the  subconscious  or  unconscious  mind,  the 
marginal  consciousness. 

This  phase  of  consciousness  has  been  variously  called  sub- 
conscious, unconscious,  co-conscious,  etc.  We  much  prefer  the 
term  marginal  consciousness. 

THE    DUAL    NATURE    OF    MIND 

It  is  a  fact  recognized  by  all  physiologists  and  psychologists 
that  the  human  mind  presents  phenomena  of  consciousness 
which  can  only  be  explained  by  the  assumption  of  a  dual  men- 
tality or  other  conditions  analogous  thereto.  These  two  minds, 
so-called,  are  largely  known  by  the  terms  "  conscious  mind " 
and  "  subconscious  mind."  We  cannot  help  regarding  it  as 
exceedingly  unfortunate  that  these  terms  ever  came  into  gen- 
eral use.  They  carry  the  idea  of  the  existence  of  two  separate 
and  distinct  minds.  Their  use  suggests  even  two  separate 
brains  or  two  distinct  parts  of  one  brain,  but  we  believe  this 
is  all  entirely  wrong. 

While  it  is  true  that  the  assumption  of  the  existence  of  the 
so-called  subconscious  mind  apparently  explains  the  behavior 


SUPRA-AUDITORY 
VIBRATIONS 

41.600  PER  SECOND 

PHASES   OF  SOUND 

SENSE    OF  HEARING 
16  TO  4.1. GOO  VIBRATIONS  A  SECOND 

SUB-AUDITORY 
VIBRATIONS 

16  PER  SECOND 

NOT  HEARD      * 

SOUND 

SEPARATE  BEATS 

, , 

SUPRA-VISUAL 
OSCILLATIONS 
ULTPA-VIOLET 
RAYS 

PHASES    OF    LIGHT 

SENSE    OF    SIGHT 

V10LET|iNDIG0|BLUE  |GRE£N|YtUOW|ORANCE|  RED 

SUB-VISUAL 

OSCILLATIONS 

INFRA-BED 

RAYS 

NOT  SEEN 
ACTINIC  RAYS 

699  1  658   1622     |  577    1 533    |506    14-77 

HEAT 

BILLIOMS  OF  OSCILLATIONS 
PER  SECOND 

PHASES  OF  C0NSCI0USNE55 


SUPRA-C0N5CI0USNE55 

SPIRITUAL 
MIND 

CENTRAL 
CONSCIOUSNESS 

THE    INTELLECTUAL  MIND 

5UB-C0N5CI0U5NE5S 
(  MARGINAL) 

HABIT 
MIND 

UNCONSCIOUS 

THE   VOICE    OF 
CONSCIENCE 

CONSCIOUS 
THE   VOICE  OF   REASON 

UNCONSCIOUS 

THE   VOICE  OF 
INSTINCT 

FIG.  10. 


DIAGRAM    ILLUSTRATING  PHASES  OF  CONSCIOUSNESS.'  '    ' 


PHASES  OF  CONSCIOUSNESS  67 

of  the  human  intellect  in  many  conditions  of  health  and  dis- 
ease, nevertheless,  we  regard  the  term  as  altogether  misleading 
and  one  which  is  wholly  unnecessary. 

In  Fig.  II,  we  have  endeavored  to  illustrate,  diagrammat- 
ically,  our  view  of  the  two  states  of  consciousness,  commonly 
called  the  conscious  and  the  subconscious.  We  have  repre- 
sented the  will  as  the  centre  or  hub  of  the  mind;  and  the  area 
of  consciousness  immediately  surrounding  this,  we  have  called 
the  central  consciousness.  Radiating  out  from  the  will  through 
the  area  of  the  central  consciousness  are  all  the  various  mental 
powers,  such  as  reason,  judgment,  perception,  memory,  imag- 
ination, etc. 

Now,  following  out  any  or  all  of  these  mental  powers  from 
the  heart  of  the  central  consciousness,  we  sooner  or  later  ap- 
proach the  borderland  of  the  marginal  consciousness,  or  the 
subconscious  mind,  indicated  on  the  diagram  by  a  wavy  and 
irregular  line.  If  we  cross  this  line,  we  find  ourselves  in  the 
realm  of  the  subconscious  mind,  or,  as  we  prefer  to  call  it, 
the  marginal  consciousness.  The  various  mental  powers,  as 
far  as  the  elements  of  attention  and  consciousness  are  con- 
cerned, are  diminished  as  we  proceed  outward  from  the  centre 
of  the  central  consciousness.  This  feature  is  shown  by  the 
diminished  intensity  of  the  various  lines  radiating  outward 
through  consciousness  from  the  centre  —  the  will. 

The  mental  procedure  of  "making  up  our  mind"  is  merely 
the  process  of  groping  around  through  the  marginal  con- 
sciousness for  the  purpose  of  finding  the  diverse  ideas  which 
are  subsequently  brought  into  focus  and  association  in  the 
realm  of  the  central  consciousness.  After  the  mind  is  thus 
"  made  up  "  the  will  is  able  to  order  action. 

THE    MARGINAL    CONSCIOUSNESS    IN    HEALTH    AND    IN    DISEASE 

We  believe  a  careful  study  of  the  facts  and  phenomena  con- 
nected with  consciousness  will  prove  to  the  satisfaction  of  all 
that  the  term  marginal  consciousness  is  to  be  preferred  to 
subconscious  mind.  We  are  able  to  recognize  a  single 
mind  only,  but  we  recognize  a  dual  consciousness  in  this  single 
mind.  This  dual  consciousness  is  never  separated  by  hard 
and  fast  lines.     The  condition  of  the  health  of  the  nervous 


68         THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

system,  the  degree  of  mental  concentration,  and  the  acuteness 
of  the  physical  senses,  are  all  concerned  in  constantly  moving 
back  and  forth  the  lines  of  demarcation  between  the  central 
and  the  marginal  consciousnesses. 

Under  certain  conditions  a  mental  process  may  be  taking 
place  in  the  marginal  consciousness ;  under  other  circumstances, 
this  same  process  may  occur  in  the  central  consciousness  and 
the  thinker  be  entirely  conscious  of  his  mental  operations. 

There  can  be  little  question  of  the  fact  that  thoughts  and 
ideas  which  may  be  born  in  the  central  consciousness  may 
pass  outward  in  the  mind  both  during  waking  and  sleeping  — 
later  to  find  themselves  lodged  in  the  marginal  consciousness, 
where  they  will  be  able  to  influence  the  life  and  health  of  the 
individual  for  weal  or  for  woe. 

It  is  this  element  of  the  consciousness  that  is  so  largely 
appealed  to  in  so-called  suggestive  or  mental  therapeutics. 
An  idea  is  suggested  to  the  patient  with  a  view  to  its  passing 
outward  through  the  central  consciousness  to  find  permanent 
lodgment  in  the  marginal  consciousness,  from  which  place  it 
is  supposed  to  influence  unconsciously  the  mental  state  of  the 
patient  or  the  operations  of  the  body.  That  is,  wholesome, 
pure,  and  healthy  thoughts  influence  the  mind,  body,  and  char- 
acter favorably;  while  unwholesome  and  diseased  thoughts 
exert  a  contrary  influence. 

But  these  matters  will  be  dealt  with  more  fully  later.  We 
desire  here  to  make  plain  and  establish  the  fact  that  man 
practically  has  a  dual  consciousness,  but  not  a  dual  mind.  We 
desire  emphatically  to  express  here  the  regret  for  this  wide- 
spread and  popular  teaching  which  represents  man  as  having 
two  minds.  We  take  the  position  that  a  human  being  has  but 
one  mind,  but  that  there  are  two,  possibly  three,  phases  of  that 
mind  —  central  consciousness,  marginal  consciousness,  and,  if 
we  may  reason  from  the  analogy  of  the  recognition  of  light  and 
sound,  a  supraconsciousness,  or  spiritual  mind. 

THE    MARGINAL   CONSCIOUSNESS    AND  THE    BODY 

The  marginal  consciousness  has  much  to  do  with  directing 
and  influencing  the  physical  functions  of  the  body.  Habits  are 
largely  directed  by  the  marginal  consciousness.     A  large  ma- 


•»•'»«•.•».  > 


FiG.II. 


DIAGRAM  'LLU5TR^TING  THE  CENTRAL  AND 
MARGINAL  CONSClOUSNtSb 


THE 


J  y ; ; 


PHASES  OF  CONSCIOUSNESS  69 

jority  of  our  physical  actions  and  regular  habits  are  wholly  or 
partially  unconscious  processes.  All  of  our  reflex  actions  and 
many  of  our  more  complicated  physical  performances  may  take 
place  by  any  one  of  three  routes,  all  of  which  are  unconscious; 
that  is,  pertaining  to  the  marginal  consciousness.  (See  Fig.  2.) 
By  strongly  concentrating  the  attention  upon  a  single  thought, 
the  mental  powers  can  be  so  perfectly  focussed  as  to  bring  the 
entire  process  of  thinking  almost  within  the  central  area  of 
consciousness;  that  is,  the  area  of  consciousness  is  greatly 
decreased.  On  the  other  hand,  when  the  attention  is  focussed 
upon  a  given  thought  and  then  is  manipulated  or  misdirected, 
it  is  entirely  possible  so  to  control  the  channels  of  thought  as 
practically  to  throw  the  whole  mental  process  into  the  realm  of 
the  marginal  consciousness;  and  this  is  exactly  the  feat  which 
is  performed  in  the  practice  of  hypnotism,  which  will  be  more 
fully  considered  in  a  later  chapter. 

THE    THREE    PLANES    OF    CONSCIOUSNESS 

Having  demonstrated  the  twofold  nature  of  the  intellectual 
consciousness,  we  desire  now  to  call  attention  to  the  threefold 
consciousness  of  the  individual  —  the  three  planes  of  intelli- 
gence which  have  already  been  suggested  by  analogy  from  the 
comparative  consideration  of  light  and  sound  and  consciousness. 
(See  Fig.  10.) 

Our  aim  thus  far  has  been  to  show  that  the  mind  of  man 
has  two  phases  of  consciousness.  We  now  take  up  for  further 
consideration  the  suggestion  previously  made  that  man  practi- 
cally has  three  phases  of  mind  —  three  planes  of  consciousness. 
This  threefold  intelligence  or  consciousness  is  shown  diagram- 
matically  in  Fig.  12,  and  these  different  planes  of  consciousness 
may  be  defined  as  follows : 

I.  The  spiritual  consciousness  —  the  voice  of  conscience  — 
the  moral  plane.  By  analogy,  the  existence  of  a  spiritual  mind 
has  already  been  suggested.  Man  certainly  possesses  moral 
attributes,  and  manifests  phenomena  of  consciousness  which 
are  far  above  the  plane  of  the  commonly  accepted  intellectual 
mind. 

Man  is  distinctly  a  religious  animal.  Human  beings  all  have 
some  sort  of  moral  perception  —  spiritual  discernment  —  in- 
stinctive standards  of  relative  right  and  wrong. 


70        THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

As  the  intellectual  consciousness  and  the  sensory  centres  of 
the  brain  are  designed  for,  and  engaged  in,  receiving  physical 
impressions  and  translating  them  into  sensations,  percepts,  and 
concepts,  so  the  spiritual  consciousness  is  occupied  with  the 
work  of  receiving  spiritual  impressions  —  wireless  messages 
from  the  great  spiritual  intelligence  of  the  universe  —  and 
translating  them  into  religious  sensations,  spiritual  percepts, 
moral  concepts,  and  the  lofty  ideas  and  ideals  of  our  inner  and 
higher  life. 

Like  as  the  intellectual  consciousness  was  found  to  consist  of 
two  phases  of  activity  —  the  central  consciousness  and  the 
marginal  consciousness  —  so  we  find  an  analogous  condition  of 
affairs  in  the  action  of  the  spiritual  consciousness.  The  centre 
or  hub  of  the  spiritual  plane  of  consciousness  might  be  called 
the  conscience,  or  the  voice  of  conscience  —  the  spiritual  in- 
stinct. (See  Fig.  12  A.)  We  must  recognize  the  two  phases 
of  each  of  the  three  planes  of  consciousness  or  intelligence. 

The  central  spiritual  consciousness  is  found  immediately 
associated  with  the  voice  of  conscience,  and  represents  man's 
definite  moral  convictions  and  his  positive  spiritual  attitude  — 
it  stands  for  crystallized  spiritual  intelligence  and  moral  instinct ; 
while  the  marginal  spiritual  consciousness  includes  the  vague 
spiritual  longings,  the  uncrystallized  religious  instincts,  the 
indefinite  moral  hunger,  which  all  human  beings  more  or  less 
experience,  and  which,  as  before  suggested,  forever  distinguish 
man  from  the  animal. 

And  so,  while  all  mankind  are  more  or  less  religious  —  recog- 
nize more  or  less  of  the  spirit  impressions  on  the  spiritual 
consciousness  —  when  these  moral  sensations  are  translated 
into  spiritual  percepts  and  concepts,  when  definite  religious  ideas 
and  moral  ideals  are  built  up  in  the  spiritual  mind ;  then  a  man's 
religious  experience  takes  definite  shape  and  he  becomes  identi- 
fied with  some  particular  religious  organization  and  spiritual 
belief;  or,  at  least  in  his  own  mind,  he  allies  himself  with  some 
concrete  code  of  morals,  some  definite  standard  of  spiritual 
living. 

2.  The  intellectual  consciousness  —  the  voice  of  reason  —  the 
mental  plane.     This  is  the  plane  of  actual  consciousness,  and 


FIG.  12. 


DIAGRAM  ILLUSTRATING  THE  THREE  PLANES  OF  CONSCIOUSNESS - 
CONSCIENCE,  REASON  AND  INSTINCT. 


PHASES  OF  CONSCIOUSNESS  71 

accordingly  is  shown  in  heavier  lines  (Fig,  12  B)  than  either 
the  spiritual  consciousness  above  or  the  physical  consciousness 
below.  This  plane  of  consciousness  has  already  been  quite 
fully  considered  and  was  also  diagrammatically  shown  in  Fig. 
II.  It  is  here  again  introduced  merely  to  complete  the  scheme 
of  the  individual's  consciousness  as  shown  on  three  separate 
levels  —  the  spiritual,  the  intellectual,  and  the  physical. 

3.  The  physical  consciousness  —  the  voice  of  instinct  —  the 
physical  plane.  There  can  be  no  longer  any  question  as  to  the 
existence  of  some  sort  of  intelligence  which  is  ever  guiding 
the  individual  cells  of  both  the  plant  and  the  animal  world  in 
their  selective  activities  in  the  realms  of  nutrition,  secretion, 
excretion,  reproduction,  and  other  operations.  The  younger 
Darwin,  the  botanist,  has  even  suggested  that  plants  may  feel 
and  think,  that  they  may  have  a  rudimentary  nervous  system; 
and  it  is  this  instinctive  intelligence  —  this  cellular  intuition  — 
which  we  call  the  physical  consciousness.  It  explains  the 
extraordinary  behavior  and  marvellous  conduct  of  the  tiny  cells 
of  the  body  as  they  so  exquisitely  and  intelligently  carry  for- 
ward their  diversified  and  complicated  tasks  associated  with  the 
metabolism  and  growth  of  the  body,  as  well  as  in  the  apparent 
ingenuity  they  manifest  in  defending  the  body  against  disease. 

When  the  physical  appetites  of  the  body  are  indefinite  — 
when  the  hunger  is  general  and  not  for  any  particular  kind  of 
food  —  the  physical  consciousness  may  be  regarded  as  existing 
in  the  marginal  state;  but  when  the  appetite  crystallizes  itself 
into  definite  form,  and  one  experiences  a  hunger  for  some 
certain  food,  such  as  bread  and  butter,  potatoes,  or  baked  beans, 
then  the  physical  consciousness  or  instinct  may  be  regarded  as 
operating  in  the  central  area  of  the  physical  consciousness. 
(See  Fig.  12  C) 

THE   THREEFOLD    NATURE   OF    MAN 

The  attention  of  the  reader  is  now  directed  to  Fig.  13,  where, 
by  means  of  a  diagram,  an  effort  is  made  to  show  both  the 
threefold  nature  of  man  —  the  three  planes  of  consciousness  — 
and  the  twofold  nature  of  the  intellectual  consciousness.  The 
spiritual  consciousness  is  shown  on  the  left-hand  side  of  the 
diagram  where  are  tabulated  various  acts  and  states  pertaining 


^2        THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

to  the  spiritual  mind  or  supraconsciousness,  and  which  are 
designed  largely  to  control  or  influence  the  central  or  intellectual 
consciousness.  These  special  manifestations  of  the  spiritual 
consciousness  are  such  as  the  desire  to  worship,  prayer,  joy, 
patience,  loyalty,  humility,  morality,  charity,  moral  freedom; 
or  perversions  of  these  spiritual  faculties,  such  as  anger,  jeal- 
ousy, covetousness,  revenge. 

Now,  on  the  right-hand  side  of  Fig.  13,  we  have  physical 
consciousness,  which  is  designed  to  be  controlled  more  par- 
ticularly by  the  marginal  consciousness,  and  only  indirectly  by 
the  central  consciousness. 

The  physical  side  of  man  naturally  embraces  the  carnal 
nature,  the  appetites  and  passions.  It  representc  the  body, 
which  receives  the  impulses  despatched  from  the  mind.  It  is 
the  part  which  eats,  drinks,  breathes,  works,  rests,  hungers. 
It  is  the  part  concerned  in  physical  health  and  disease.  Certain 
diseases  result  when  the  functions  of  the  body  are  increased, 
others  when  they  are  decreased,  and  still  others  come  from 
paralysis  or  cessation  of  function. 

The  organs  of  special  sense  are  a  part  of  the  body.  The 
body  proves  to  be  not  only  the  instrument  of  the  mind,  the 
habitation  of  the  spirit,  but  also  the  instrumentality  of  crime 
and  intemperance,  when  controlled  by  a  diseased  mind  or  a 
disordered  nervous  system.  The  body  is  also  a  poison  generator 
and  therefore  suffers  from  weariness,  decay,  and  death.  The 
body  is  also  concerned  directly  in  the  phenomena  of  repro- 
duction. 

THE   DOUBLE   FUNCTION   OF   ONE    MIND 

The  intellectual  consciousness,  the  consciousness  which  pre- 
sides over  the  brain  and  speaks  through  the  nervous  mechanism 
of  the  body,  really  controls  two  nervous  systems  as  shown  in 
Fig.  13.  The  voluntary  or  sensory  nervous  system,  and  the 
involuntary  or  sympathetic  nervous  system,  are  both  connected 
with  the  intellect.  This  fact  — the  existence  of  two  distinct 
nervous  systems  — ^  is  what  probably  led  to  the  original  assump- 
tion of  the  existence  of  two  separate  and  distinct  minds ;  but  as 
we  have  previously  shown,  the  sympathetic  nervous  system  does 
not  enter  the  skull,  it  is  connected  indirectly  with  the  sensory 


MORALE 


MIND 


MATTER 


SPIRITUAL 
COXSCIOl  S.NESS 


Acts  and  States 

Designed  to 

Control  the 

Central 

Consciousness 
(Conscience) 


Spirituality 

Worship 

Prayer 

Morality 

Conviction 

Obedience 

Loyalty 

Devotion 

Joy 

Patience 

Humility 

Meekness 

Self-Denial 

Forgiveness 

Charity 

Moral 
Freedom 


Perverted 
Spirit 

Anger 

Jealousy 

Revenge 

Covetonsness 

Cowardice,  etc. 


XTELIiECTUAL     CONSCIOUSNESS 


Voluntary 
Nervous   System 


Sensory 
Nerves 


Central 
Conscious- 
ness 


Controls  All 
Voluntary 
Movements 

and 
Regulates 

All 
Involuntary 
Functions, 
by  the 
Central 
Conscious- 
ness 


Functions 

1.  The  Brain 

Special 
Senses 

Taste 

Smell 

Hearing 

Sight 

Feeling 

Temper- 
ature 

Weight 

Location 

Pain 

Organic 
Sense 

2.   Spinal 
Cord 

Reflex 
Action 

Nerve 
Impulses 
Incoming 
Outgoing 

Equilib- 
rium 


Higher 
Thought 

Memory — 
Partial 

Doubts 

Fears 

Worries 

Sleeps 

Collects 

and 

Arranges 

Facts 

Reasons — 
Inductive 

and 
Deductive 

Intelli- 
gence 
(Volitional) 


Talent 


Sugges- 
tions- 
Originates 

and 
Receives 

Discretion 


Actions 

Environ- 
ment 

Judgment- 
Deliberate 

Real 
World 

Acquired 
Knowl- 
edge 


Involuntary 
Nervous   System 


Marginal      Sympathetic 
Conscious-  T-T 

ness  N^^'^es 


Habit 
Thought 

Memory^ 
Complete 

Trusts 

Believes 

Indifferent 

Never 
Sleeps 

Arranges 
Facts,  Only 


Reasons- 
Deductive 
'Largely) 
Intuition 


(Spontan- 
eous Asso- 
ciation of 
Ideas) 

Genius 
(Hereditary) 

Sugges- 
tions- 
Receives 

and 
Retains 

Impulsive- 
ness 

Habits 

Heredity 

Judgment- 
Instinctive 

Dream 
World 

Inherited 
Knowl- 
edge 
'Music,  etc.) 


Propels  All 
Functions 
and  Forms 
Habits,  by 

the 
Marginal 
Conscious- 
ness and 
Abdominal 
Brain 

Functions 

Secretion 
Digestion 

Assimila- 
tion 
Oxidation 
Circulation 

Contrac- 
tion 

Vaso- 
Motor 
State 
Elimina- 
tion 

Excretion 
Respira- 
tion 

Peristalsis 

Skin 
Action 

Visceral 

Action 

Internal 

Secretions 

Growth 

Repair 

Healing 

Defence 

against 

Disease 


The  Combined 
Bear  upon  Mind 


THE     WTLI. 

Spiritual,   Mental,  and  Nervous  Forces,    Brought  to 
and  Body  to  Direct  Them  in  the  Channel  of  Choice. 


PHYSICAL 
CONSCIOUSNESS 


Controlled 
Directly  by  the 

Marginal 

Consciousness, 

Indirectly  by 

the  Central 

Consciousness 


Carnality 

Originates 

Sensory 

Impressions 

Receives 

Motor 

Impressions 

Instrument 
of  Mind 

Spirit 
Habitation 

Appetites 
Passions 

Eating 
Drinking 
Breatliing 
Working 
Resting 
Locomotion 

Hunger 

Thirst 

Health 
Reproduction 

Disease 
Increased 
•  Action 
Decreased 

Action 
Paralysis 

Death 

Decay 

Return  to 
Dust 


FIG.  13.      Diagram  Showing  the  Relation   of  the  Physical   Instincts   and  the  Spiritual  Emotions  to  the 
Intellectual  Consciousness,  also  a  Comparison  of  the  Central  and  the  Marginal   Consciousnesses, 


PHASES  OF  CONSCIOUSNESS  73 

nervous  system ;  and  thus  in  a  sense  both  of  these  great  systems 
of  nerves  are  presided  over  by  one  mind  —  the  intellectual 
consciousness  —  the  central  and  marginal  consciousnesses. 

As  shown  in  Diagram  13,  the  sensory  nerves  control  the 
voluntary  movements  of  the  body,  and  to  some  extent  influence 
and  regulate  the  majority  of  the  involuntary  functions,  operat- 
ing more  especially  through  the  central  consciousness.  The 
function  of  this  system  is  largely  influenced  by  the  taste,  smell, 
hearing,  sight,  and  feeling ;  and  it  operates  largely  by  means  of 
the  impulses  which  it  receives  over,  and  sends  out  through,  the 
spinal  cord  and  its  many  branches. 

The  sympathetic  nervous  system  is  largely  concerned  in  the 
formation  of  habits  and  the  carrying  on  of  the  various  vital 
functions  of  the  body,  and  in  general  it  may  be  said  to  be 
controlled  largely  by  the  marginal  consciousness  and  the  solar 
plexus  —  the  abdominal  brain.  ThiSi  involuntary  nervous 
system  regulates  secretion,  digestion,  assimilation,  oxidation, 
circulation  of  the  blood,  elimination  of  poisons,  and  the  action 
of  the  skin  and  bowels.  It  is  largely  concerned  in  the  healing 
of  the  body  and  in  the  process  of  defending  it  against  disease. 

The  mind  of  man  —  the  intellectual  consciousness  —  bridges 
over  the  chasm  between  the  spiritual  and  the  material  world  — 
between  spirit  and  body.  The  central  consciousness  makes 
contact  with  the  spiritual  mind  and  the  moral  realms  above  it, 
while  the  marginal  consciousness  makes  contact  with  physical 
mind  and  the  material  realm  below  it.  Mind  is  intended  to 
control  matter  and  in  turn  to  be  controlled  by  morals  —  and  so 
we  find  three  spheres  in  the  scheme  of  mental  regulation  and 
physical  control  —  mind,  matter,  and  morals. 

COMPARISON    OF    THE  CENTRAL    AND    MARGINAL    CONSCIOUSNESSES 

In  Fig.  13,  a  parallel  comparison  is  made  between  the  central 
consciousness,  which  is  largely  associated  with  the  voluntary 
nervous  system,  and  the  marginal  consciousness  which,  indi- 
rectly, is  largely  associated  with  the  involuntary  nervous 
system.  We  would  not  convey  the  idea  that  the  comparisons 
shown  in  this  parallel  diagram  are  absolute  and  definite,  they 
are  only  relative.  The  central  consciousness  and  the  marginal 
consciousness  are  but  relative  terms,  nevertheless,  there  is  a 


;4         THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

very  clear-cut  distinction  between  the  typical  activities  of  the 
central  consciousness  and  those  of  the  marginal  consciousness, 
generally  called  the  subconscious  mind.  The  one  is  more  largely 
concerned  in  the  higher  intellectual  thoughts  and  mental 
activities;  the  other  has  more  to  do  with  habit-thought,  the 
regulation  of  the  natural  bodily  functions,  and  the  direction  of 
the  instinctive  acts  of  the  body. 

The  central  consciousness  with  its  stronger  powers  of  reason 
and  judgment  is  the  doubting  power  of  the  mind.  The  marginal 
consciousness  is  more  trusting.  It  has  less  of  reason  and  judg- 
ment and,  therefore,  is  more  likely  to  believe  anything  which  it 
is  told.  In  the  case  of  the  hypnotized  individual,  the  central 
consciousness  is  diverted  —  practically  obliterated;  he  is  likely 
to  believe  anything  which  he  is  told,  within  certain  well-known 
limits;  and  so  while  the  central  consciousness  is  more  largely 
the  abode  of  fears,  the  marginal  consciousness  trusts  and 
believes. 

From  the  very  nature  of  this  arrangement,  the  central  con- 
sciousness worries  as  to  the  solutions  of  the  problems  of  to-day 
and  the  avoidance  of  the  dangers  of  to-morrow ;  while  the  mar- 
ginal consciousness  is  more  or  less  indifferent  to  these  matters. 
The  difficulties  of  life  are  not  seriously  regarded  by  this  phase 
of  the  mind.  The  central  consciousness  sleeps  at  night,  but 
the  marginal  consciousness  never  sleeps,  and  through  the  sym- 
pathetic nervous  system  it  is  able  indirectly  to  influence  the 
entire  physical  process  even  while  the  higher  centres  of  thought 
are  sound  asleep  at  night. 

The  central  consciousness,  while  it  collects  and  arranges 
facts,  is  more  largely  engaged  in  the  work  of  collection.  The 
activities  of  the  marginal  consciousness  are  largely  limited  to 
arranging  facts;  and  this  explains  why  one  may  retire  at  night 
with  the  mind  confused,  the  intellect  greatly  disturbed,  the 
ideas  all  disarranged,  but  awake  in  the  morning  with  ideas 
all  collected  and  nicely  rearranged  —  one  half  of  his  problems 
solved,  while  the  troubles  have  largely  vanished  during  the 
period  of  sleep  and  rest. 

The  central  consciousness  reasons  inductively  and  deduc-^ 
tiv^ly.    It  does  not  accept  a  thing  merely  as  so  because  you  tell 


PHASES  OF  CONSCIOUSNESS  75 

it;  while  the  marginal  consciousness  reasons  very  largely  de- 
ductively, accepting  as  true  almost  everything  told  it,  and  acting 
accordingly.  The  hypnotized  individual  v^ho  is  quite  exclusively 
under  the  control  of  the  marginal  consciousness,  when  told  he 
is  a  dog,  only  reasons  deductively,  and,  therefore,  immediately 
begins  to  bark.  He  does  not  use  his  higher  powers  of  reason 
to  examine  himself  carefully  to  see  whether  or  not  he  is  a  dog. 
He  acts  largely  upon  the  suggestions  which  are  made  from  the 
outside. 

The  central  consciousness  is  concerned  in  acts  of  volitional 
intelligence,  while  the  marginal  consciousness  presides  over  our 
intuition,  that  is,  our  hereditary  knowledge,  and  over  those 
actions  arising  from  a  spontaneous  association  of  ideas. 

Talent,  which  is  the  result  of  training  and  thought,  is  the 
product  of  the  centralized  consciousness;  while  genius  is 
largely  an  unconscious  attribute,  hereditary  as  to  origin  and 
pertaining  to  the  marginal  consciousness. 

The  centralized  consciousness  may  originate  a  suggestion  or 
may  receive  one.  The  marginal  consciousness  concerns  itself 
largely  with  receiving  and  retaining  suggestions;  and  it  is  this 
peculiar  faculty  of  the  marginal  consciousness  which  renders 
it  so  susceptible  of  those  suggestions  which  may  favorably  or 
unfavorably  influence  the  health  of  the  body. 

The  centralized  consciousness  is  discreet  in  its  control  of 
actions,  in  the  formation  of  habits;  while  the  marginal  con- 
sciousness is  always  impulsive,  and  when  actions  have  been 
repeated  a  sufficient  number  of  times  to  form  habits,  they  are 
largely  controlled  by  this  phase  of  consciousness. 

The  central  consciousness  is  largely  influenced  by  our  environ- 
ment, while  the  marginal  consciousness  is  more  strongly 
influenced  by  heredity.  The  judgment  and  final  conclusions 
of  the  central  consciousness  are  deliberate  and  matured.  Those 
of  the  marginal  consciousness  are  usually  instinctive,  and 
often  instantaneous. 

The  central  consciousness  has  to  do  with  our  thoughts  in 
connection  with  the  real  consciousness,  with  the  acquirement  of 
knowledge,  with  actual  work  and  hard  study;  while  the 
marginal  consciousness  may  be  more  or  less  of  a  dreamy  con- 


76        JHE  PliYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

sciousness,  and  it  is  concerned  more  with  our  hereditary 
knowledj.^e.  It  is  the  element  of  consciousness  largely  con- 
cerned in  the  ca  se  of  the  intellectual  freaks,  such  as  Blind  Tom, 
the  musici'an,  9.nd  certain  mathematical  prodigies. 

The  will,  as  shown  in  Fig.  13,  as  previously  considered,  is  the 
combined  spiri  tual,  mental,  and  nervous  forces  brought  to  bear 
upon  mind  tUK  1  body,  to  direct  them  in  the  channel  of  choice. 

SUMMARY    OF    THE    CHAPTER 

I.  Every  e\d«  dence  points  to  the  existence  of  a  spiritual  mind, 
a  supraconsddj  isness.  This  constitutes  the  moral  mind  —  the 
conscientiouy.  ci  lement  of  the  intelligence. 

2,  The  centF,  al  consciousness  is  the  highly  conscious  and 
purely  intellect  iial  process  of  the  mind,  while  the  marginal 
consciousness  (\  the  subconscious  mind)  represents  that  diffused 
and  scatterea  m\  ""tal  action  which  occurs  beyond  the  borders 
of  so-called  consc    iousness. 

7.  The  will  is  th  ^  practical  and  potential  centre  of  conscious- 
ness. The  mental  t  procedure  of  "  making  up  our  mind  "  consists 
in  the  assembling  oi  *  ^^^  marginal  data  and  arranging  the  same 
in  systematic  fashiot  ^  j^  ^he  central  consciousness,  preliminary 
to  the  action  of  the  v    ^^^^• 

4.  Man  presents  the  Phenomenon  of  a  dual  consciousness  in 
ta  single  mind.  The  lim  ««  of  demarcation  between  the  marginal 
;and  the  central  consciott.  ^^^^ses  are  relative  and  ever  changing. 
ThQ  iflarginal  conscious,  ^^^s  is  highly  concerned  in  all  the 
pr-cMems  of  health  and  h<    '.^l*"^-  ,       ..      ,       „    ,    , ., 

%  The  marginal  consci  ^^^^^^^  ^^^^^^^  ^^^^^^^  ^"  ^^^^t- 
^ctions,  reflex  movements,  ^"^  unconscious  performances. 
(Concentration  of  the  attenti.  ^^  ^^^  T^'^.^^u  ! 

nine  of  division  between  the  ^^"^^^^  ^"^  the  margmal  con- 
;  sciousnesses.  .  .  ,  x      1 

6.  Man    exhibits   three   plane.'    of   conscousness :    (a)    the 

.  .,     t  •  xu«  .rr.\^c.      of   conscience  —  the   moral 

spiritual   consciousness,  the  voice 

'  plane;  (b)  the  intellectual  conscious   "«f '  the  voice  of  reason - 

the  mental  plane;  and  (c)  the  physic  ^1  consciousness,  the  vo.ce 

of  instinct  —  the  physical  plane.  ,,         r 

7.  The  study  of  man  from  every  side  v  ''^'^"^^  ^^^  P'°^^^^  ""^ 
his  threefold  nature  —  mii\4,  morals,  an<jt     ^^^^^^' 


PHASES  OF  CONSCIOUSNESS  7/ 

8.  The  mind  of  man  presides  over  two  distinct  and  separate 
nervous  systems.  Both  the  cerebro-sj:»inal  and  the  sympathetic 
nervous  system  serve  as  the  instruments  of  expression  and 
operation  for  the  mind,  which  is  the  master  controller  of  all 
nervous  mechanisms  and  mental  machinery. 

9.  The  mind  bridges  over  the  chasm  separating  the  spiritual 
and  the  material  world.  The  central  consciousness  touches  the 
moral  and  spiritual  realms  above,  while  the  marginal  conscious- 
ness makes  contact  with  the  physical  and  material  world 
below  it. 

10.  At  every  point,  a  comparison  of  the  central  with  the 
marginal  consciousness  discloses  a  striking  parallel  of  differ- 
ences. The  practical  operations  of  these  two  phases  of 
consciousness  are  quite  opposite.  They  occupy  opposite  ex- 
tremes in  the  balancing  scheme  of  mind  —  the  one  ever 
supplementing,  reinforcing,  and  checking  the  other.  They  are 
dedicated  to  the  performance  of  opposites. 


CHAPTER   VIII 

SUPERSTITION     AS     RELATED    TO     HEALTH    AND 

DISEASE 

Ancient  health  delusions. —  Examples  of  ancient  medical 

SUPERSTITION. DeMONOLOGY    AND    "  TEMPLE    SLEEP." ReLICS 

AS     A     HEALTH     DELUSION. MeDI^VAL     MEDICAL     SCHOOLS. — 

The  PROVIDENTIAL   IDEA   OF   DISEASE. AsTROLOGY   IN    HEALTH 

AND  DISEASE.— Ancient  almanacs. —  Later  health  delu- 
sions.—  Superstition  and  insanity. —  Medical  errors  and 
superstitions. —  modern  medical  superstition. —  sum- 
mary of  the  chapter 

THE  Study  of  physiology  and  psychology  discloses  the  vast 
possibilities  existing  in  the  human  body  and  brain  for  the 
origin  of  inaccuracies,  the  birth  of  deceptions,  the  creation  of 
delusions,  and  the  production  of  a  vast  system  of  baseless  fears, 
false  conceptions,  and  erroneous  conclusions.  This  systematized 
mental  fear  and  moral  cowardice  may  be  summed  up  in  the 
one  word  —  superstition. 

In  all  ages  and  at  all  times,  there  have  existed  health  delusions 
and  healing  deceptions,  and  even  the  present  age  is  no  exception ; 
but  it  is  beyond  the  scope  of  this  work,  and  foreign  to  its  pur- 
pose, to  dwell  in  detail  upon  these  various  systems  of  erroneous 
teaching,  or  even  to  expose  the  delusive  philosophy,  the  cunning 
methods,  and  the  deceptive  inner  workings  of  the  many  health 
and  healing  frauds  which  are  perpetrated  upon  a  long-suffering 
public.  In  this  chapter  we  can  but  hope  briefly  to  trace  some 
of  the  ancient  medical  superstitions  and  connect  them  with 
modern  health  delusions  —  to  show  the  influence  of  superstition 
upon  the  health  teaching,  medical  practice,  and  the  healing  be- 
liefs of  the  world. 

;8 


SUPERSTITION  79 

ANCIENT  HEALTH  DELUSIONS 

Superstition  has  ever  paraded  in  the  garments  of  faith,  and 
so  in  the  earliest  records  of  ancient  history,  medical  superstition 
is  discovered  travelling  hand  in  hand  with  religious  superstition. 
The  earliest  of  these  health  delusions  taught  that  disease  was 
due  to  the  ill-humor  of  the  gods.  When  mankind  suffered  the 
blight  of  infectious  disease  and  physical  decay,  some  particular 
god  was  supposed  to  be  in  a  state  of  anger,  having  taken  offence 
at  some  sin  of  commission  or  omission  on  the  part  of  the 
sufferer  or  his  friends.  This  system  of  explaining  the  cause  of 
disease  progressed  to  that  point  where  there  appeared  to  be  a 
different  god  for  each  disease;  and  following  all  this  came  the 
discovery  of,  and  appeal  to,  Apollo,  the  god  who  was  supposed 
to  have  invented  the  art  of  healing. 

In  their  efforts  to  amuse  these  various  gods  of  health  and 
disease,  to  appease  their  wrath,  and  win  their  favor,  the  pagans 
were  wont  to  engage  in  spectacular  theatrical  performances, 
elaborate  banquets,  and  extraordinary  dancing  manoeuvres ;  and, 
subsequently,  professed  Christians  unfortunately  incorporated 
much  of  this  delusional  teaching  respecting  health  and  disease 
into  their  systems  of  belief,  and  hence  were  led  to  endow  the 
Creator  —  their  personal  God  —  with  many  of  these  health  and 
disease  practices  which  had  been  attributed  to  the  numerous 
heathen  gods.  Almost  every  idea  pertaining  to  physical  health 
and  bodily  disease  was  steeped  in  ignorance,  and  saturated  with 
superstition. 

Later  there  arose  a  special  class  of  the  priesthood  —  the 
magicians  —  who  claimed  to  work  miracles  by  means  of  some 
supernatural  endowment  or  some  special  influence  with  the 
gods.  These  ancient  wonder-workers  claimed  to  be  able  to 
relieve  suffering  and  cure  disease  by  the  supernatural  method. 
Alexander  the  Great  is  reported  to  have  always  had  one  of 
those  medicine-men  connected  with  his  personal  staff ;  and  Nero 
was  an  ardent  pupil  of  the  magi.  These  religio-medical  im- 
postors, while  they  claimed  to  effect  their  wonderful  cures  by 
the  direct  working  of  the  gods,  nevertheless  made  use  of  all 
manner  of  drugs,  bone  powders,  human  faeces,  urine,  and 
various  other  unmentionable  things,  including  the  ropes  that 


8o        THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

hung  criminals.  They  instructed  their  victims  to  swallow  these 
medicines  while  standing  at  the  cross-roads  at  midnight, 
repeating  prayers  to  the  gods  and  saying  over  certain  magic 
numbers  such  as  three,  seven,  and  nine. 

EXAMPLES    OF   ANCIENT    MEDICAL    SUPERSTITION 

As  examples  of  some  of  these  ancient  health  prescriptions, 
which  superstitious  practices  are  by  no  means  altogether  ex- 
tinct at  the  present  time,  the  following  may  be  cited: 

For  warts  and  corns.  Lie  on  your  back  along  a  boundary 
line  on  the  twentieth  day  of  the  month,  with  the  hands  extended 
over  the  head.  With  whatever  thing  you  grasp  while  so  doing, 
rub  the  warts,  and  they  will  immediately  disappear.  After 
seeing  a  shooting  star,  immediately  pour  vinegar  upon  the  hinge 
of  a  door.    This  is  a  sure  cure  for  corns. 

For  headache.  Tie  a  piece  of  a  rope  that  hung  a  criminal 
tightly  around  the  forehead,  There  is  a  physiological  reason 
why  this  might  have  helped  in  stopping  headaches.  It  is  a 
well-known  fact  that  pressure  upon  the  aching  head  or  the 
tying  of  a  handkerchief  about  the  head,  frequently  eases  the 
headache  by  its  pressure  upon  the  nerves  and  its  it^fluence 
upon  the  circulation.  Another  illustration  of  how  even  super- 
stition and  ignorance  sometimes  unwittingly  hit  the  nail  on  the 
head. 

For  stomach-ache.  The  one  suffering  from  colicky  pains 
must  sit  down  on  a  chair  and  repeat  to  himself  a  prescribed 
formula  of  words  (various  formulae  adapted  to  different  pains 
were  used)  ;  or  take  the  excreta  of  a  wolf,  together  with  small 
pieces  of  bone,  bind  them  up  together,  and  wear  them  on  the 
right  arm  or  hip.  Another  favorite  prescription  for  colic  was 
the  heart  taken  from  a  living  lark,  to  be  worn  on  the  left  thigh. 

For  epilepsy.  Gather  peonies  at  night  when  the  moon  is  on 
the  wane;  wrap  up  in  linen  and  wear  as  an  amulet.  Or  take 
a  nail  from  a  cross,  and  suspend  it  about  the  neck. 

For  gout.  Take  a  gold  leaf  and  write  upon  it  certain 
formulae  when  the  moon  is  on  the  wane.  This  is  then  to  be 
covered  with  a  tendon  of  a  crane,  enclosed  in  a  capsule,  and 
worn  by  the  patient  about  his  heel. 

For  diseases  of  the  eye.    Rub  the  diseased  eye  with  the  eye 


SUPERSTITION  8i 

of  a  wolf  or  the  eye  of  some  other  animal  having  a  cunning 
look. 

These  are  but  samples  of  ancient  and  foolish  medical  super- 
stitions, but  one  can  scarcely  help  recognizing  numerous  mod- 
ern counterparts  in  the  notion  of  planting  potatoes  in  the 
light  of  the  moon,  wearing  charms  about  the  neck,  carrying  a 
rabbit's  foot,  and  many  other  superstitious  practices  in  vogue 
even  at  the  present  time. 

DEMONOLOGY   AND  "  TEMPLE  SLEEP  " 

That  diseases  were  caused  by  demons  was  a  theory  largely 
held  in  ancient  times.  Some  devil,  some  bad  spirit,  or  the 
influence  of  a  bad  god,  was  supposed  to  enter  into  a  person  and 
by  its  presence  was  supposed  to  produce  various  forms  of 
disease.  In  the  Middle  Ages  they  believed  in  the  so-called 
white  and  black  magicians  —  those  whose  work  was  inspired 
by  good  and  bad  demons,  respectively.  When  these  super- 
stitions crept  into  the  early  Christian  churches,  the  good  demon 
was  dropped  out  of  their  philosophy  and  the  production  of 
disease  was  exclusively  assigned  to  the  bad  demons,  while 
health  and  healing  influences  were  credited  to  the  agents  of 
heaven  —  the  angels.  And  it  is  certain  that  this  ancient  idea 
of  the  cause  of  disease  has  not  entirely  departed  from  our  mod- 
ern philosophy  of  health  and  healing.  The  author  is  constantly 
meeting  afflicted  souls  who  believe  themselves  to  be  "  under  the 
power  of  the  enemy"  —  to  be  subject  to  the  "powers  of  dark- 
ness "  —  to  be  the  "  victims  of  doubt  and  unbelief,"  and  who 
are  ever  praying  for  their  release  by  messengers  of  light  — 
the  divine  agents  and  dispensers  of  health  and  healing. 

The  "  temple  sleep  "  was  a  peculiar  superstition  of  the  Greeks. 
In  carrying  out  this  system  of  healing,  the  priests  would  fall 
asleep  in  the  temple,  and  in  their  dreams  would  get  prescriptions 
for  disease  from  the  gods.  For  many  years  this  superstition 
which  obtained  among  the  Greeks  was  credited  with  remarkable 
cures.  A  little  later,  among  the  professed  Christians,  the  same 
identical  idea  was  practised  under  the  name  of  "  church  sleep," 
and  wonderful  stories  abound  of  how  those  who  suffered  from 
stone  in  the  bladder  would  go  to  sleep  in  the  church,  where 
miraculous  and  mysterious  surgical  operations  would  be  per- 


82         THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

formed  upon  them,  and  they  would  awake  entirely  cured,  often 
finding  the  stone  by  their  side,  or  in  the  hands  of  the  attending 
priests. 

One  interesting  instance  is  related  of  how  the  ungrateful 
patient  who  had  thus  been  miraculously  operated  upon  failed 
to  pay  the  priests  for  what  the  gods  had  done.  He  was  again 
afflicted  and  it  required  considerable  persuasion  to  induce  the 
gods  to  perform  the  second  operation. 

While  there  were  numerous  saints  in  the  later  Christian 
superstition  who  ministered  to  the  sick  and  performed  surgical 
operations,  St.  Benedict  was  the  saintly  surgeon  who  acquired 
the  greatest  reputation  for  successfully  operating  upon  patients 
during  the  "  church  sleep." 

Later,  this  superstition  was  wonderfully  developed  and 
broadened,  and  there  appeared  the  teaching  that  a  certain 
celestial  surgeon,  one  St.  Martin,  would  perform  operations 
and  heal  the  sick,  who  would  go  to  sleep  in  any  place  and  under 
any  circumstances;  that  if  the  sufferers  would  only  call  upon 
him,  it  was  not  necessary  to  sleep  in  a  church;  and  thus  the 
church,  as  a  surgical  hospital,  was  robbed  of  its  peculiar  healing 
influence  and  sacred  climatic  value. 

And  so  it  would  appear  that  a  whole  faculty  of  medical  and 
surgical  saints  was  created.  Ultimately  there  came  into  exist- 
ence numerous  specialists,  some  saints  performing  surgical 
operations  of  one  kind,  while  other  saints  performed  operations 
along  other  lines.  In  following  out  this  superstitious  system, 
they  had  these  celestial  practitioners  grouped  somewhat  after 
the  order  of  our  present-day  specialists.  Some  treated  stomach 
troubles,  some  insanity,  while  other  saints  administered  to  the 
skin  diseases. 

RELICS   AS   A   HEALTH    DELUSION 

From  time  immemorial,  relics  have  been  associated  with 
health  and  disease.  The  bodies  of  either  dead  or  living  saints 
were  supposed  to  be  life-giving  and  healing  to  the  touch  —  even 
to  touch  the  tombs  of  some  of  the  saints  was  reputed  to  cure 
one's  disease. 

A  concoction  made  of  a  piece  of  the  tombstone  of  a  good 
man  was  supposed  to  cure  malignant  disease  when  everything 


SUPERSTITIOh^  83 

else  had  failed.  For  some  diseases,  it  was  a  sure  cure  to  lick 
the  tombstone  of  a  saint.  To  kiss  the  temple  floors  whereon 
saints  had  trod  was  also  supposed  to  confer  extraordinary 
healing  power. 

The  water  with  which  the  altars  were  washed  at  Easter  time 
was  supposed  to  be  unusually  efficacious  in  the  cure  of  many 
obstinate  diseases.  Relic  covers  were  boiled  and  the  concoc- 
tions drunk  by  the  sick  and  the  afflicted.  There  was  a  white 
m.anna  which  was  supposed  to  have  come  from  the  tomb  of  the 
Apostle  John,  and  this  was  thought  to  possess  extraordinary 
power  in  healing  disease. 

Many  of  these  relic  delusions  were  systematically  practised 
right  up  to  the  seventeenth  century,  and  to-day  we  frequently 
read  of  pilgrimages  and  excursions  to  the  relics  and  shrines  of 
the  saints,  where  scores  of  people  are  reputed  to  have  been 
instantly  healed  of  their  diseases.  The  relic  superstition  has 
not  entirely  disappeared. 

MEDIEVAL    MEDICAL   SCHOOLS 

About  the  time  of  the  height  of  the  relic  rage,  the  remnants 
of  the  early  art  of  medicine  took  refuge  in  the  mountain  monas- 
teries, where  for  years  in  the  midst  of  a  mystical  and 
superstitious  environment,  the  monks  nursed  the  sick  and 
practised  medicine.  Following  this  ministry  of  the  monks,  in 
connection  with  their  church  propaganda  during  the  Middle 
Ages,  there  came  forth  that  great  horde  of  "  miracle-workers "' 
and  disease-healers,  whose  activities  were  immediately  followed 
by  a  revival  of  the  teachings  of  demonology,  and  subsequently 
by  witchcraft  and  its  allied  theories;  and  it  is  but  a  few  years 
since  witches  were  actually  hanged  on  the  shores  of  our  much 
boasted  free  America. 

It  was  not  until  the  fourth  century  that  the  idea  of  exclusive 
and  infallible  healing  by  prayer  became  prominent;  and 
immediately  following  this,  it  was  taught  that  there  were  many 
material  things  which  would  prove  of  great  help  to  prayer, 
such  as  placing  one  of  the  gospels  on  the  affected  part,  or 
spreading  over  the  patient  the  clothing  which  had  been  worn 
by  a  pious  man. 


84         THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

THE   PROVIDENTIAL    IDEA   OF    DISEASE 

Following  the  theory  of  prayer  as  a  disease  cure,  came  the 
teaching  of  Providence  as  a  disease  cause  —  the  providential 
idea  of  human  sickness  and  suffering  —  which  came  to  be  quite 
generally  held  by  the  professed  Christian  world.  It  was 
generally  accepted  that  syphilis  and  the  military  fever  which 
made  their  appearance  in  the  fifteenth  century  throughout 
Europe  were  providential  visitations.  This  idea  that  disease 
was  a  visitation  of  Providence  naturally  led  back  to  those: 
practices  which  were  designed  to  appease  the  wrath  of  God  andi 
atone  for  the  shortcomings  of  man ;  and  it  was  in  this  connection, 
that  there  arose  the  great  army  of  conjurors  and  mumhlers,  as; 
well  as  those  who  would  chant  hymns  and  hang  charms  about 
their  necks. 

In  this  connection  there  also  arose  a  peculiar  superstition  in 
which  little  children  were  used  as  the  unconscious  mediums, 
great  stress  being  placed  upon  their  jargon  or  drollery.  These 
words  were  many  times  repeated  and  certain  of  them  were 
supposed  to  possess  unusual  healing  power. 

About  the  same  time,  there  arose  the  teaching  that  some  men 
had  been  taught  by  superior  and  cunning  devils  how  to  drive 
out  the  inferior  or  lesser  devils,  and,  as  previously  explained, 
the  saints  and  the  heavenly  angels  later  took  the  place  of  the 
so-called  good  and  superior  demons,  in  the  Christian  philosophy. 

ASTROLOGY   IN    HEALTH   AND  DISEASE 

It  is  indeed  difficult  to  say  just  when  medicine  got  mixed  up 
with  astronomy,  so  that  the  treatment  of  disease  and  the  pres- 
ervation of  health  came  to  be  determined  by  the  flight  of  the 
stars  through  space.  There  seems  to  be  evidence  that  astrology 
existed  back  in  the  earliest  Chaldean  period.  The  idea  of  sun 
worship,  the  sun  being  the  apparent  source  of  energy  and  life, 
was  probably  at  the  root  of  this  ancient  astrology.  The  As- 
syrians and  Babylonians  developed  a  veritable  system  of 
astrological  medicine.  The  following  examples  indicate  how 
disease  was  treated  by  the  astrologers  : 

If  the  wind  comes  up  from  the  west,  upon  the  appearance  of 
the  moon,  disease  will  prevail  during  the  month;  while,  if 
Venus  approaches  the  constellation  of  Cancer,  the  sick  in  the 
land  will  recover. 


I 


SUPERSTITION  85 

If  Mercury  arises  on  the  fifteenth  day  of  the  month,  there 
will  be  many  deaths.  If  Mercury  comes  in  conjunction  with 
Mars,  there  will  be  fatalities  among  horses. 

If  a  planet  becomes  pale  in  opposition  to  the  moon,  many 
lions  will  die;  while  if  Mars  and  Jupiter  come  in  conjunction, 
many  cattle  will  die. 

If  an  eclipse  of  the  moon  occurs  on  the  twenty-ninth  day  of 
the  month,  there  will  be  many  deaths  on  the  first  day  of  the  next 
month;  while  an  eclipse  in  the  morning  is  sure  to  produce 
disease. 

If  a  halo  is  observed  surrounding  the  moon,  it  indicates  that 
women  will  bear  male  children. 

The  ancient  astrological  medical  teaching  positively  forbade 
the  performance  of  surgical  operations  on  certain  days  of  the 
month,  such  as  the  seventh,  fourteenth,  nineteenth,  and  twenty- 
first. 

Purging  was  supposed  to  be  both  difficult  and  dangerous 
during  or  just  before  the  dog-days. 

The  appearance  of  comets,  the  heavenly  mischief-makers, 
was  regarded  as  a  sure  forerunner  of  world-wide  pestilence 
and  national  calamity. 

Acute  diseases  in  general  were  supposed  to  be  controlled  by 
the  moon,  while  the  chronic  affections  were  more  largely 
influenced  by  the  sun. 

It  was  taught  that  each  part  or  organ  of  the  human  body  was 
subordinate  to  a  distinct  sign  of  the  zodiac.  For  instance,  the 
sun  controlled  the  right  eye,  the  moon  the  left  eye;  Saturn, 
hearing;  Jupiter,  the  brain;  Mars,  the  blood;  Venus,  taste  and 
smell;  Mercury,  the  tongue. 

An  emetic  or  a  purge  could  be  safely  given  only  when  the 
moon  was  in  a  certain  relation  to  certain  stars. 

The  ancient  astrologers  prepared  elaborate  tables  which 
indicated  just  how  each  physical  function  and  mental  faculty 
was  subordinate  to  a  certain  star. 

ANCIENT   ALMANACS 

During  the  Middle  Ages,  when  the  science  of  medicine  had 
begun  to  take  definite  shape,  the  almanac  was  gotten  out  as  a 
sort  of  compromise  between  the   astrologer  and  the  doctor. 


86         THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

This  peculiar  volume  gave  the  signs  of  the  zodiac  so  that  the 
astrologer  was  able  to  know  the  fate  of  mankind  rapidly  and 
easily,  and  the  doctor  who  had  not  yet  found  deliverance  from 
the  superstition  of  the  day  could  also  have  recourse  to  its 
teachings  in  connection  with  the  practice  of  his  profession. 
And  thus  science  has  ever  advanced  with  one  hand  upon  the 
new  truth  ahead,  and  the  other  upon  the  errors  and  supersti- 
tions of  past  teachings  —  practices  holy  and  hoary  with  age. 

These  tables  based  upon  the  signs  of  the  zodiac  (See  Fig. 
14)  explained  the  proper  times  to  have  the  hair  cut,  when  it 
was  safe  to  draw  blood  or  to  draw  teeth.  They  also  carefully 
indicated  the  days  on  which  it  was  safe  to  take  a  bath;  and 
even  the  best  times  to  pray  were  indicated  in  the  almanac,  it 
being  taught  that  when  the  moon  was  in  conjunction  with 
Jupiter,  you  were  sure  to  receive  an  answer  to  your  prayers. 
Prayers  were  especially  sure  of  an  answer  when  offered  to  the 
Virgin  Mary  on  the  first  day  of  April  at  eight  a.m. 

And  so  the  ancient  almanac  proves  to  be  a  monumental 
exhibition  of  the  combined  medical  and  religious  superstitions 
of  the  Middle  Ages,  and  it  was  not  until  the  later  Christian  idea 
of  a  God  of  love  in  control  of  the  universe  became  widespread, 
and  the  still  later  scientific  teaching  of  the  regulation  of  health 
and  disease  by  the  rulings  of  natural  law,  became  generally 
accepted,  that  this  blinding  belief  in  the  fate-ruling  power  of 
the  stars  was  shaken.  At  one  time,  all  the  great  courts  of 
Europe  had  their  astrologers;  and  even  Melancthon,  the 
reformer,  was  a  believer  in  much  of  this  astrology,  believing 
that  his  own  last  sickness  was  incurable  only  because  Mars  and 
Saturn  happened  to  be  in  conjunction. 

We  cannot  yet  regard  ourselves  as  entirely  free  from  the 
deceptions  and  delusions  of  astrology,  as  long  as  intelligent 
farmers  continue  to  plant  their  potatoes  by  the  light  of  the 
moon,  and  otherwise  gauge  their  agricultural  pursuits  by  the 
phases  of  the  moon,  or  the  flight  of  the  stars.  We  sometimes 
regard  ourselves  as  having  wholly  outlived  a  superstition,  when, 
in  so  far  as  faith  and  fear  are  concerned,  we  continue  to  be 
victims  of  every  principle  of  its  erroneous  teaching. 


BULL 


RAM 


TWINS 


nG.14-.     THE  RELATION  OF  TJHE  PAR^o    OF  THE  HUMAN  BODY 
TO   THE  SIGNS  OF  THE  7,ftDI^C.;  y^  ,V,        ,    >^ 


SUPERSTITION  87 

LATER    HEALTH    DELUSIONS 

Deliverance  from  the  more  ancient  delusions  of  demonology 
and  astrology  did  not  come  in  a  single  generation.  Numerous 
disease  delusions  sprang  up  on  the  heels  of  these  departing 
sophistries.  The  following  absurd  medical  practices  are  among 
the  teachings  found  in  a  not  very  distant  past : 

A  ring  made  from  the  wood  of  a  coffin  and  slipped  over  a 
cramping  limb,  was  supposed  to  be  a  sure  cure  for  spasms. 

Tumors  and  cancers  could  be  effectually  driven  away  by  nine 
blows  from  the  hand  of  a  dead  man. 

To  drive  a  new  nail  into  an  o.  .^  tree,  was  a  sure  cure  for 
toothache. 

"  King's  Evil "  was  a  name  given  to  scrofula,  for  it  was 
supposed  to  be  cured  by  His  Majesty's  touch;  that  is,  the  king, 
by  laying  hands  on  the  sick  and  reciting  a  prayer,  was  supposed 
to  cure  thousands  of  scrofulous  sufferers  every  year. 

The  **  weapon  ointment "  cure  was  a  remedy  consisting  of  a 
large  number  of  different  things  including  human  blood, 
pulverized  mummy,  and  moss  that  had  grown  on  the  skull  of  a 
thief.  The  peculiar  part  of  the  procedure  was  that  this  oint- 
ment was  to  be  rubbed  on  the  weapon  that  had  inflicted  the 
wound,  and  this  was  supposed  to  cure  the  cut.  Even  Lord 
Bacon,  in  his  day,  would  not  presume  to  deny  the  efficacy  of 
this  treatment,  but  failing  to  account  consistently  for  it,  he 
said,  "  We  must  accept  the  facts,  and  leave  them  unexplained." 
He  must  have  felt  as  the  modern  scientists  feel  when  standing 
in  the  presence  of  the  psychological  frauds  and  deceptions  of 
our  own  day.  It  is  very  difficult  to  refute  superstition  as  long 
as  it  apparently  cures  disease  and  heals  the  sick.  Even  Hilda- 
nus,  an  eminent  surgeon  of  that  day,  failing  satisfactorily  to 
explain  the  workings  of  the  "  weapon  ointment,"  said,  "  The 
devil  must  have  a  hand  in  the  business." 

Following  the  widespread  use  of  the  weapon  ointment,  a 
so-called  sympathetic  powder  came  into  general  use.  These 
powders  could  be  applied  to  the  blood-stained  garments  of  a 
wounded  person,  thereby  quickly  and  effectually  healing  the 
wound, 


88        THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

SUPERSTITION    AND  INSANITY 

The  superstition  of  the  ancients  respecting  the  insane  led  to 
the  most  unfortunate  and  inhuman  treatment  of  these  mental 
sufferers.  The  insane  of  past  ages  were  the  most  maltreated 
of  all  the  afflicted.  The  idea  that  mental  diseases  and  insanity- 
were  directly  attributable  to  demoniacal  possession  resulted  in 
producing  such  a  prejudice  against  the  mentally  unbalanced  of 
olden  times  that  they  received  but  little  or  no  sympathy  and 
care  from  their  fellow-men. 

Another  idea  respecting  insanity  was  that  some  forms  of 
mental  derangement  came  from  allowing  the  moon  to  shine 
directly  upon  the  face.  Indeed,  it  was  this  belief  that  gave 
origin  to  the  name  lunacy  —  from  Luna,  the  moon.  In  the  good 
old  days,  mental  patients  would  have  some  superstitious  remedy 
tried  on  them,  and  if  they  made  no  immediate  improvement, 
they  were  cast  out  from  civilization  as  victims  of  lunacy,  or 
else  they  were  regarded  as  having  become  possessed  of  devils. 

From  the  records  of  some  of  the  ancient  churches  it  would 
appear  that  the  physician-priests  regarded  themselves  as  some- 
times successful  in  their  efforts  to  frighten  the  devils  out  of 
the  insane  by  the  employment  of  incantations,  the  use  of  long 
words,  and  the  administration  of  certain  malodorous  and  filthy 
drugs.  In  1583,  the  Jesuit  Fathers  of  Vienna  boasted  that 
they  had  by  these  means  cast  out  12,658  living  devils. 

At  a  later  date,  lunatics  were  sometimes  confined  in  what 
were  known  as  "  fool  towers,"  and  still  later  they  were  incar- 
cerated in  the  "  witch  towers."  It  is  certainly  a  cause  for 
universal  rejoicing  and  gratitude  that  in  the  case  of  these 
mental  sufferers,  the  superstitions  of  the  dark  ages  no  longer 
guide  society  in  its  treatment  of  the  insane.  Great  progress 
has  been  made  in  the  past  fifty  years  by  all  civilized  nations  in 
the  treatment  of  the  insane  and  the  mentally  unbalanced.  At 
the  present  time,  in  most  parts  of  the  United  States,  the  mental 
patients  confined  in  State  institutions  receive  thorough-going, 
up-to-date,  and  scientific  treatment  for  their  mental  maladies. 

MEDICAL  ERRORS   AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

Even  our  orthodox  schools  of  medicine,  during  the  past 
century,  were  not  altogether  free  from  absurd  and  superstitious 


SUPERSTITION  89 

practices.  Teachings  which  have  been  long  accepted  in  the 
medical  profession  are  indeed  difficult  to  get  away  from.  That 
this  is  true  has  been  shown  repeatedly  during  the  past  fifty 
years.  The  absurd  and  unreasonable  practice  of  confining 
fever  patients  in  close  and  unventilated  rooms,  denying  the 
famishing  sufferers  all  water  —  either  for  drinking  or  bathing 
purposes  —  at  the  same  time  drawing  from  their  depleted  systems 
large  quantities  of  blood,  and  putting  them  through  a  "  course 
of  medicine  "  consisting  largely  of  calomel,  until  sometimes  the 
mouth  and  gums  were  horribly  swollen  and  the  teeth  ready 
to  fall  out  —  such  a  method  of  treating  fever  patients  represents 
the  tenacity  with  which  the  practices  of  the  past  cling  to  the 
procedures  of  the  present.  The  science  of  medicine  has  made 
tremendous  progress  during  the  past  fifty  years,  having  deliv- 
ered itself  from  a  vast  amount  of  ancient  superstition  and 
medical  delusion.  In  recent  years,  amazing  progress  has 
been  made  in  the  march  away  from  superstition  and  em- 
piricism in  our  modern  methods  of  treating  the  sick  and  healing 
disease. 

Among  the  last  of  the  greater  ancient  delusions  regarding 
the  treatment  of  disease  to  pass  out  of  our  modern  system  of 
medicine,  was  the  universal  practice  of  blood-letting,  a  practice 
largely  in  vogue  within  the  last  hundred  years.  In  England, 
the  barbers  were  commissioned  to  perform  this  service.  They 
were  regarded  as  the  surgeons  of  that  day,  and  it  is  said  that 
the  present-day  barbers'  sign  —  a  pole  of  red  and  white  stripes  — 
originated  from  this  practice,  the  white  representing  the 
bandage  and  the  red  standing  for  the  blood. 

While  physicians  of  to-day  have  largely  delivered  themselves 
from  the  bondage  and  errors  of  these  ancient  medical  supersti- 
tions, the  common  people  are  still  more  or  less  tainted  by  these 
erroneous  ideas  of  disease,  as  shown  by  the  current  use  of  such 
phrases  as  "disease  striking  in,"  "drawing  out  inflammation," 
"  driving  out  pain,"  together  with  the  notion  that  disease  is  a 
punishment  for  moral  wrong-doing,  or  a  providential  visitation 
for  spiritual  misdeeds.  Ancient  notions  die  hard,  and  supersti- 
tion is  slow  to  release  its  victims;  accordingly,  the  deliverance 
of  the  common  people  from  the  thraldom  of  medical  superstition 
has  been  painfully  slow. 


90         THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  'AND  FEAR 

MODERN    MEDICAL    SUPERSTITION 

In  recent  years,  medical  superstition  seems  to  have  crystal- 
lized itself  into  numerous  modern  "  mind  cures "  and 
"  faith-healing "  cults.  By  mind  cure  and  faith  healing  we 
refer  to  those  exclusive  systems  of  treatment  known  by  these 
terms;  we  shall  not  undertake  to  enumerate  these  faith-cure 
systems  and  "  isms,"  for  they  are  legion.  They  all  operate  on 
the  same  general  lines. 

There  exists  to-day  the  same  willingness  on  the  part  of  the 
people  to  be  misled  and  deceived  as  was  found  in  the  minds 
and  hearts  of  our  forefathers;  and  the  power  of  these  modern 
humbugs  of  healing  is  found  to  consist  in  their  ability  appar- 
ently to  cure  disease.  Having  relieved  physical  pain  and 
seemingly  cured  bodily  disease,  the  teachers  of  these  systems 
force  their  peculiar  religious  and  ethical  views  upon  their 
converts  as  the  price  of  retaining  healing  and  regaining  health. 

In  a  subsequent  chapter,  it  will  be  shown  that  these  various 
cults  and  isms  all  accomplish  their  healing  work  in  accordance 
with  certain  definite  laws.  The  fact  that  their  devotees  improve 
in  health  and  find  actual  or  pretended  deliverance  from  disease, 
in  no  wise  vouches  for  the  truthfulness  of  their  teachings  or  the 
trustworthiness  of  their  claims  to  divine  sanction  and  authority. 

SUMMARY  OF  THE   CHAPTER 

1.  Superstition  has  ever  paraded  in  the  garments  of  faith. 
Medical  superstition  has  travelled  hand  in  hand  with  religious 
superstition. 

2.  The  ancients  attributed  disease  to  the  anger  of  the  gods, 
and  went  so  far  as  to  provide  a  different  god  for  each  disease. 

3.  The  magicians  were  a  special  class  of  priests  who  claimed 
to  work  miracles  by  the  aid  of  the  gods.  They  employed  medi- 
cine, charms,  and  prayers. 

4.  While  the  vast  majority  of  these  ancient  health  practices 
were  utterly  nonsensical,  vast  numbers  of  people  were  appar- 
ently helped  or  cured. 

5.  Demonology  explained  disease  on  the  ground  that  the 
patient  was  possessed  by  an  evil  spirit,  by  the  devil.  This 
doctrine  is  still  prevalent,  many  believing  themselves  to  be 
"  under  the  power  of  the  enemy." 


SUPERSTITION  91 

6.  The  early  "  temple  sleep  "  and  the  later  "  church  sleep " 
were  procedures  in  which  the  patient  went  to  sleep  in  the 
temple  or  the  church,  and  while  unconscious  the  saints  were 
supposed  to  come  down  and  treat  the  sick  —  even  to  perform 
surgical  operations. 

7.  Relics  have  been  looked  upon  as  health  restorers  from  a 
very  early  date.  Pilgrimages  to  the  holy  shrines  have  restored 
thousands  of  sick  ones  to  health. 

8.  The  medical  schools  of  the  monks  in  mediaeval  times 
turned  out  a  great  army  of  "  miracle-workers."  Their  teach- 
ings ranged  from  healing  by  prayer  to  subsequent  witchcraft 
demonstrations. 

9.  Later,  there  appeared  the  providential  idea  of  disease. 
This  led  to  the  practice  of  all  sorts  of  methods  calculated  to 
appease  the  wtath  of  God.     This  idea  is  widespread  to-day. 

10.  From  the  dawn  of  history,  astrology,  the  forerunner  of 
astronomy,  has  been  connected  with  health  and  disease.  This 
belief  originated  the  ancient  almanacs  —  forerunners  of  our 
modern  combined  calendars  and  patent  medicine  advertisements. 

11.  The  latter-day  health  delusions  are  too  numerous  to  men- 
tion, including  "king's  touch,"  "weapon  ointment,"  and 
"  sympathetic  powders." 

12.  The  barbarous  treatment  of  the  insane  in  past  ages  was 
due  to  the  prevalence  of  the  belief  in  demoniacal  possession. 

13.  The  practice  of  medicine  in  the  last  century  was  not 
entirely  free  from  its  empiric  courses  of  medicine,  atrocious 
blood-letting,  and  "  driving  out  inflammations." 

14.  Modern  medical  superstition  has  crystallized  itself  into 
numerous  cults,  mind  cures,  and  faith-healing  procedures.  The 
ability  to  cure  disease  is  commonly  regarded  as  proving  that 
the  healer  is  a  special  and  accredited  agent  of  God. 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE  PSYCHOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

The  influence  of  faith  and  fear  on  the  mind. —  Sensa- 
tions   AS    modified    by   faith    and    fear. —  The   psychic 

origin    and    nature    of    SENSATION. —  FaITH     AND    FEAR    IN 

relation      TO       MENTAL      MASTICATION. ACTION      OF      FAITH 

AND  FEAR  ON  THE  IMAGINATION  AND  PHANTASY.— ThE 
EFFECTS  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR  ON  MENTAL  DIGESTION. —  FaITH 
AND  FEAR  IN  THE  REALM  OF  THE  ASSOCIATION  OF  IDEAS. —  ThE 

effect  of  faith  and  fear  on  the  higher  mental  powers. 

Faith  and  fear  in  the  development  of  character. —  Faith 

AND       fear       in       health       AND       DISEASE. IdOL-WORSHIP. 

Charms. —  Astrology. —  Shrine  worship. —  Sacrifices. — 
Mesmerism. —  Faith  healing. —  Clairvoyance. —  Chris- 
tian science. —  Patent  medicines. —  Fetishes. —  Summary 
of  the  chapter. 

IT  now  becomes  necessary  more   fully  to  define  the  terms 
which   enter  into  the  title  of  this  work  —  faith   and  fear. 
The  term  faith  is  used  in  this  text  as  expressive  of  optimism, 
\  satisfaction,    happiness,    confidence,     assurance,     hopefulness, 
cheerfulness,  courage,  and  determination ;  while  the  term  fear  is 
v^made    to    include    pessimism,    dissatisfaction,    grief,    anxiety, 
despondency,  hatred,  worry,  moroseness,  anger,  and  vacillation. 
It  will  thus  appear  that  faith  represents  a. mode  of  life  and 
thought  —  it  represents   the   normal,   the   healthy,   the  natural 
state  of  civilized  man ;  while  fear  stands  for  the  opposite  mode 
of  life  and  thought  —  it  represents  the  unnatural,  the  abnormal, 
the  unhealthy  mental  and  moral  attitude. 

In  the  next  chapter  the  reader  will  find  an  exhaustive  parallel 
arrangement  of  the  numerous  mental  qualities  and  states  which 
enter  into  the  definitions  of  faith  and  fear.  In  the  left-hand 
column   there  are  shown  the  attributes   and  qualities  of  the 

92 


THE  PSYCHOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR        93 

faith  life,  ranging  from  optimism  to  determination.  In  the 
right-hand  column  will  be  found  the  qualifications  and  charac- 
teristics of  the  fear  life,  ranging  from  pessimism  to  vacillation. 
A  study  of  this  parallel  arrangement  of  definitions  will  make 
perfectly  clear  just  what  the  author  intends  to  include  under 
the  terms  faith  and  fear,  which  terms  from  now  on  will  be 
frequently  met  with  in  this  text. 

THE   INFLUENCE  OF  FAITH   AND  THAT  OF  FEAR  ON   THE   MIND 

When  faith  thoughts  and  optimistic  ideas  dominate  the  mind, 
the  brain  and  nervous  system  seem  to  functionate  in  a  normal, 
healthy,  and  vigorous  manner.  When  fear  thoughts  and  pessi- 
mistic ideas,  or  any  of  their  numerous  offspring,  control  the 
mind,  the  brain  manifests  abnormality  in  its  action  and  disorder 
in  its  function,  and  the  nervous  system  seems  to  be  more  or 
less  demoralized. 

A  study  of  psychology  in  the  light  of  faith  and  fear, 
abundantly  proves  that  the  faith  life  (the  optimistic  life)  is 
the  one  which  nature  designed  that  man  should  lead.  By  nature 
the  human  mind  and  body  are  so  constructed  that  the  mental 
attitude  of  faith  and  optimism  is  absolutely  essential  to  the 
normal  and  ideal  working  of  every  mental  power  and  physical 
function. 

SENSATIONS    AS    MODIFIED   BY  FAITH    AND   FEAR 

The  fundamental  state  of  the  mind  has  everything  in  the 
world  to  do  with  determining  the  kind,  character,  and  intensity 
of  all  the  sensations  which  we  experience.  The  various  special 
sensations,  such  as  those  of  sight,  hearing,  and  smell,  are  all 
capable  of  being  greatly  modified,  and  are  often  even  prevented 
from  coming  into  being,  by  the  mental  state  of  the  patient. 
Observations  and  experiments  which  definitely  prove  this 
statement  will  be  fully  cited  in  a  later  chapter.  Objects  seen 
and  sounds  heard  are  differently  recognized,  according  to 
whether  the  mind  is  in  a  state  of  rest,  peace,  and  repose,  or  in 
a  state  of  agitation,  excitement,  and  panic. 

Faith  favors  and  facilitates  a  normal,  healthy,  and  rational 
interpretation  of  the  sensations  which  arise  from  the  excitation 
of  the  organs  of  special  sense.  Every  mental  state  included 
under  the  term  fear  directly  favors  a  distorted  and  diseased 


94        THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

interpretation  of  the  sensations,  producing  an  undervaluation  of 
normal  sensations  together  with  an  extraordinary  exaggeration 
of  abnormal  sensations,  accompanied  by  an  aggravation  of 
painful  and  unnatural  impressions. 

Pain  and  other  disagreeable  sensations  are  greatly  increased 
in  connection  with  the  mental  states  of  fear  and  worry; 
whereas,  the  optimistic  and  cheerful  frame  of  mind  tends 
greatly  to  lessen  the  inconvenience  and  suffering  occasioned  by 
these  unnatural  and  otherwise  painful  sensations. 

THE  PSYCHIC  ORIGIN  AND  NATURE  OF  SENSATION 

In  our  previous  study  of  the  nervous  system,  it  was  made 
plain  that  the  sensations  of  sight,  sound,  and  pain  are  not 
located  or  experienced  in  the  special  sense  organs.  Here,  to 
be  sure,  the  first  step  is  taken  toward  their  arousal,  but  they 
finally  depend,  without  exception,  upon  special  activity  in  the 
cortex  of  the  cerebrum  —  the  outer  portion  of  the  tipper  brain. 

These  feelings,  which  we  recognize  and  call  sensations,  result 
from  the  excitation  of  certain  special  nerves  which  end  in  the 
eye,  the  nose,  the  ear,  the  skin,  and  other  organs,  and  which, 
when  stimulated,  cause  waves  of  nervous  energy  to  pass  quickly 
over  the  nerves  up  to  the  brain ;  and  it  is  only  after  these  waves 
of  nerve  energy  reach  the  brain,  and  are  there  received  and 
responded  to  by  the  special  centres,  that  the  sensations  of  sight, 
sound,  and  pain  are  experienced. 

Now,  under  certain  diseased  or  unnatural  conditions,  what  is 
there  to  hinder  these  nerves  from  automatically  setting  in 
operation  waves  of  energy  or  reporting  impressions  on  their 
own  responsibility,  entirely  independent  of  the  impressions  made 
upon  the  organs  of  special  sensation,  with  which  they  are 
connected;  and,  further,  even  if  this  did  not  occur,  what  is 
there  to  prevent  the  special  brain  centres,  under  certain  abnor- 
mal conditions,  from  reporting  to  the  consciousness  of  the 
individual  that  it  has  received  certain  impressions  of  sight, 
sound,  or  pain,  when  in  reality  it  has  received  no  such  impres- 
sions? The  special  centre  of  sensation  for  some  particular 
sense  organ  may  automatically,  independently,  and  spontane- 
ously give  origin  to  a  false  sensation  —  that  is,  a  sensation 
which    in    that    particular    instance    did   not   have    a   definite 


THE  PSYCHOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR        95 

physical  origin.  In  this  way  arise  hallucinations,  delusions, 
illusions,  and  various  paraesthesias ;  for  example,  a  bitter  taste 
in  the  mouth. 

This  fact,  no  doubt,  accounts  for  many  of  our  so-called 
habit  sensations,  that  is,  pain  and  other  physical  sensations 
which  have  become  habitual,  so  that  even  when  the  actual 
cause  is  removed,  either  the  nerves  continue  to  forward  pain 
impressions  to  the  brain,  or  the  brain  centres,  having  become 
habituated  to  reacting  to  such  impressions,  continue  to  awaken 
the  consciousness  of  pain. 

And  so  it  will  be  seen,  as  our  study  progresses,  that  the 
mental  state  of  fear,  together  with  all  its  many  phases  and 
numerous  psychic  offspring,  has  a  tendency  to  produce  un- 
natural and  abnormal  sensations  or  to  increase  their  intensity; 
and  it  may  even  torture  the  sufferer  with  sensations  and  feel- 
ings which  have  no  objective  source;  that  fear  and  worry 
demoralize  the  nervous  mechanism  of  the  body,  and  so  greatly 
interfere  with  the  normal  and  natural  interpretation  of  physical 
impressions  and  the  recognition  of  bodily  sensations. 

Faith,  on  the  other  hand,  facilitates  the  production  of  natural 
sensations  and  normal  feelings.  Every  mental  state  included 
under  the  term  faith  discourages  the  reception,  recognition, 
and  harboring  of  diseased  physical  impressions,  unwholesome 
thoughts,  and  unnatural  sensations. 

FAITH    AND    FEAR    IN    RELATION    TO    MENTAL    MASTICATION 

Faith  exerts  the  same  salutary  effect  upon  the  process  of 
mental  digestion  that  it  does  upon  the  process  of  digestion  in 
the  stomach;  while  fear  leads  to  the  production  of  mental 
indigestion  and  other  disorders  of  the  mind,  just  as  it  does  to 
the  production  of  dyspepsia  and  indigestion  in  the  stomach. 

When  the  mind  is  confident  and  tranquil,  our  perceptions, 
images,  and  emotions  are  normally  and  healthfully  formed. 
When  the  mind  is  alarmed  and  panicky,  the  perceptions,  images, 
and  emotions  become  unnatural,  distorted,  deformed,  and 
diseased. 

When  the  mind  is  actuated  by  faith  and  its  attributes,  the 
process  of  mental  mastication  is  deliberate  and  healthy.  The 
formation  of  the  percepts  is  carried  on  in  a  natural  and  nor- 


96        THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

mal  manner;  but  when  the  mind  is  dominated  by  fear,  the 
sensations  and  feelings  are  rushed  through  the  area  of  percep- 
tion posthaste;  they  are  not  sufficiently  masticated,  and  the 
result  is  the  same  as  in  physical  digestion  —  sooner  or  later, 
diseased  action  of  the  mind,  distortion  of  the  intellect  —  mental 
dyspepsia. 

It  is  impossible  to  form  healthy  percepts,  correct  images, 
and  trustworthy  emotions,  when  the  mind  is  dominated  by  fear 
or  any  of  its  attributes. 

ACTION  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR  ON  THE  IMAGINATION  AND  PHANTASY 

The  higher  we  ascend  in  the  level  of  thought,  the  further 
we  penetrate  into  the  process  of  mental  digestion,  the  more 
disastrous  become  the  results  of  a  lapse  from  faith  to  fear. 
The  imagination  and  the  higher  processes  of  the  mind  have 
the  same  trouble  in  dealing  with  insufficiently  masticated  mental 
food,  that  the  stomach  does  in  dealing  with  bolted  physical 
food.  While  sudden  fright  and  fear  directly  influence  the  im- 
agination, they  disease  the  phantasy,  and  favor  the  generation 
of  unwholesome  mind  poisons  in  the  very  beginning  of  mental 
digestion. 

What  is  a  diseased  imagination?  It  is  simply  an  imagina- 
tion which  is  provided  with  unhealthful  mental  food  —  sup- 
plied with  perceptions,  images,  and  emotions  which  are  abnor- 
mal, distorted,  and  diseased  —  mind  food  which  is  insufficiently 
masticated  —  mind  food  which  is  tainted  with  fear  and  pois- 
oned with  fright.  When  fear  controls  the  mind,  the  imagin- 
ation is  doomed  to  functionate  in  a  depressing  and  unnatural 
atmosphere,  and  its  creations  will  usually  be  found  so  diseased 
and  abnormal  as  only  to  add  fuel  to  the  fires  of  fear. 

THE  EFFECTS  OF  FAITH   AND  FEAR  ON  THE  MENTAL  DIGESTION 

Still  more  terrible  is  the  havoc  wrought  by  fear  when  we 
come  to  the  process  of  conception  —  mental  digestion.  When 
we  come  to  classifying,  abstracting,  comparing,  and  reflecting 
upon  our  percepts  (the  process  of  the  higher  mental  digestion), 
then  it  is  that  the  terrible  mischief  wrought  by  fear  becomes 
apparent.  The  images  and  emotions,  the  sensations  and  feel- 
ings, have  now  become  concepts.  They  may  be  erroneously 
classified.    They  may  be  misinterpreted.    Their  qualities  may 


THE  PSYCHOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR        97 

be  confused  and  wrongly  abstracted;  their  comparison  may  be 
faulty  and  misleading;  reflection  is  too  often  entirely  absent. 

The  digestive  process  of  the  mind  is  incomplete,  superficial; 
and  right  here  the  foundation  is  laid  for  mental  malnutrition 
and  intellectual  anaemia.  (  The  body  cannot  long  remain  well- 
nourished  and  healthy  when  the  stomach  fails  properly  to  do 
its  work. )  Neither  will  the  intellect  long  be  found  strong  and 
vigorous  if  fear  has  thus  paralyzed  the  mental  digestion  and 
demoralized  the  intellectual  metabolism.  Every  mental  power 
is  destined  to  suffer  as  a  result  of  this  baleful  influence  of  fear. 

On  the  other  hand,  had  faith  and  its  associated  qualifications 
dominated  the  mind,  the  products  of  mental  mastication,  and  the 
internal  productions  of  the  imagination,  would  have  brought 
to  the  process  of  conception,  healthful,  well-masticated,  normal, 
natural  material,  which  would  have  been  promptly  and  satis- 
factorily classified,  carefully  compared,  and  otherwise  fully  and 
completely  digested,  to  be  subsequently  passed  upward  in  the 
stream  of  thought  to  nourish  and  sustain  the  entire  mind,  and 
especially  to  provide  healthy  material  out  of  which  the  higher 
mental  powers  could  elaborate  healthy  thoughts,  wholesome 
ambitions,  and  noble  aspirations. 

Even  the  memory  must  fall  an  unwilling  victim  to  these 
destructive  and  demoralizing  influences  of  fear.  Food  which 
has  not  been  properly  masticated  or  fully  digested,  cannot  be 
properly  assimilated.  Memory  represents  that  power  of  the 
mind  designed  for  the  assimilation  of  impressions,  the  retention 
of  images,  the  recognition  and  recollection  of  that  which  has 
been  committed  to  it;  but  under  the  influence  of  fear  the 
memory  impressions  become  unreliable,  unhealthy,  and  dis- 
eased. Objects  and  images  are  but  imperfectly  retained,  and 
then  only  in  distorted  form.  The  recollection  of  impressions 
entering  the  mind  when  in  a  state  of  panic  and  fear  are  always 
unreliable,  imperfect,  and  untrustworthy.  Thus  the  memory 
may  become  an  unconscious  tool  in  the  hands  of  fear  and 
sudden  fright,  passing  up  to  the  higher  mental  powers,  the 
diseased  and  unhealthy  product  of  insufficient  mental  mastica- 
tion, intellectual  indigestion,  and  mental  malassimilation. 

r 


98        THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  'AND  FEAR 

FAITH    AND  FEAR  IN  THE  REALM    OF  THE   ASSOCIATION   OF   IDEAS 

By  referring  back  to  the  diagram  of  psychology  in  Chapter  V, 
it  will  at  once  become  apparent  that  mind  fear  and  mental 
panic  are  capable  of  producing  untold  harm  and  almost  unlim- 
ited mischief  at  this  point  in  the  working  of  the  mental  machin- 
ery. Here,  in  this  mysterious  realm  of  the  mind,  insufficiently 
masticated  and  improperly  digested  perceptions  result  in  mis- 
mated  ideas,  misformed  conceptions,  distorted  imaginations, 
and  deformed  memories;  and  all  these  combined,  produce  that 
state  of  mental  dyspepsia  which  gives  rise  to  a  vast  horde  of 
diseased  ideas  and  unhealthy  ideals  which  must  seriously  and 
unfavorably  influence  both  the  mental  life  and  the  physical 
health  of  the  individual. 

THE  EFFECT  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR  ON  THE  HIGHER  MENTAL  POWERS 

Bad  as  are  the  effects  of  fear  on  the  mental  powers  consid- 
ered thus  far,  it  becomes  even  worse  in  its  influence  upon  judg- 
ment, reason,  and  choice.  Faith  and  the  qualifications  allied 
thereto  are  absolutely  essential  to  the  normal  and  healthy 
operation  of  the  judgment.  The  judgment  cannot  functionate 
in  a  proper  manner  when  the  mind  is  dominated  by  fear.  Not 
only  are  the  ideas  which  the  judgment  must  discriminate,  dis- 
torted and  deformed,  but  the  action  of  this  mental  power  is 
more  or  less  paralyzed  and  directly  distorted  by  the  presence  of 
fear  thought  in  the  mind. 

But  most  disastrous  of  all  is  the  effect  of  fear  upon  the 
reason.  The  individual  whose  mind  is  swayed  by  fear  and 
harassed  with  worry,  is  unable  to  reason  in  a  healthy  and  nor- 
mal manner.  The  highest  conclusions  of  the  mind  are  apt  to 
be  of  least  value  to  the  sufferer.  Such  a  person  is  just  as 
likely  to  reason  himself  into  trouble  as  out  of  trouble.  He  is 
more  likely  to  reason  himself  into  disease  than  into  health. 
From  disuse,  the  reason  soon  grows  weak  and  feeble,  and  this 
permits  the  diseased  thoughts  and  imaginations  to  pass  on  un- 
hindered, to  find  ultimate  translation  into  words  of  discour- 
agement, looks  of  despair,  and  habits  of  bondage  and  disease. 

And  thus  we  are  forced  to  recognize  fear  as  a  mental  blight, 
a  moral  mildew,  and  an  intellectual  poison. 


THE  PSYCHOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR       99 

FAITH    AND    FEAR    IN    THE   DEVELOPMENT   OF   CHARACTER 

Inasmuch  as  faith  and  fear  determine  the  character  of  our 
mental  activity  and  the  product  of  our  minds,  they  powerfully 
influence  the  formation  of  character.  Temperament,  honesty, 
morality,  the  affections,  and  the  entire  conduct  are  moulded 
according  as  faith  thought  or  fear  thought  is  uppermost  in 
the  mind;  especially  is  the  influence  of  fear  in  character  forma- 
tion shown  to  be  all-powerful  when  its  effects  upon  the  mind 
are  studied  in  connection  with  its  effects  upon  the  body.  The 
influence  of  fear  on  the  body  will  fully  be  shown  subsequently. 

The  child  who  is  trained  to  fear  his  parents,  to  fear  ghosts 
and  hobgoblins,  spooks  and  spirits,  to  fear  both  the  real  and 
fictitious  dangers  of  life,  and  later  to  live  in  constant  and 
unnatural  fear  of  the  Supreme  Being,  and  in  the  end  to  fear 
an  eternal  hell-fire,  certainly  deserves  the  pity  of  all  thinking 
creatures.  A  large  percentage  of  grown-up  people  live  in 
constant  fear  of  something.  Fear  has  become  a  well-nigh 
universal  mental  disease,  and  its  constant  entertainment  is 
bound  to  result  in  swinging  the  character  attributes  of  the 
people  from  the  beautiful,  noble,  and  happy  characteristics  of 
the  faith  life,  over  into  the  distressing  and  undesirable  quali- 
fications found  under  the  fear  life.  (See  parallel  arrangement 
of  the  faith  life  and  the  fear  life  at  the  end  of  the  next 
chapter.) 

FAITH    AND    FEAR    IN    HEALTH    AND    DISEASE 

We  have  now  come  to  the  place  in  our  study  for  the  practical 
application  of  faith  and  fear  as  they  influence  the  mind  and 
the  body.  As  will  be  shown  more  fully  later,  all  faith  thoughts 
have  a  tendency  to  prevent  disease  and  promote  health;  all 
fear  thoughts  have  a  tendency  to  produce  disease  and  prevent 
health.  Accordingly,  any  and  all  influences  which  tend  to  de- 
stroy fear  and  generate  faith  are,  in  the  last  analysis,  health- 
promoting  agencies. 

At  all  times  and  in  all  ages  the  human  race  has  ever  sought 
after  those  agencies,  influences,  teachings,  and  religions  which 
had  power  to  generate  faith  and  banish  fear.  All  new  reli- 
gions have  been  invented  with  a  view  to  producing  faith  within 
the  human  mind  and  destroying  fear  in  the  human  heart.     The 


100       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

latter  they  have  not  always  succeeded  in  accomplishing :  toward 
the  former  they  have  at  least  contributed  something. 

The  accompanying  diagram  (Fig.  15)  is  intended  graphically 
to  illustrate  how  the  religious  beliefs,  racial  practices,  and 
popular  superstitions  of  both  ancient  and  modern  times  have 
operated  to  destroy  fear  and  generate  faith.  We  desire  in 
this  connection  to  lay  emphasis  upon  this  important  truth: 
Any  and  all  procedures,  practices,  superstitions,  religious  be- 
liefs, or  systems  of  healing,  no  matter  how  nonsensical  or 
whimsical,  if  they  succeed  in  generating  faith  and  destroying 
fear,  will,  directly  and  indirectly,  tend  to  improve  the  physical 
health  of  all  who  are  influenced  thereby.  In  other  words,  there 
is  positive  curative  power  in  any  teaching,  belief,  or  mental 
attitude  which  will  cause  the  individual  to  exercise  more  faith 
and  thus  in  some  measure  deliver  himself  from  the  mental 
bondage  and  the  moral  thraldom  of  the  fear  life.  And  fear, 
it  should  be  remembered,  is  the  handmaiden  of  disease,  the 
one  great  cause  of  those  mental  attitudes  and  bodily  states 
which  in  every  way  favor  distress  and  disease. 

The  practices  of  the  ancient  tribal  medicine-men  were  all 
designed  to  mystify  the  sufferer,  to  attract  his  attention,  to 
inspire  his  faith,  to  create  confidence;  and  just  in  proportion 
as  the  medicine-man  was  able  to  generate  faith  and  destroy 
fear,  with  his  harmless  herbs  and  his  innocent  incantations, 
he  was  able  to  help  his  patients  and  relieve  their  mental  tor- 
tures and  physical  sufferings. 

The  idol  worship  of  the  heathen  and  the  relic  worship  of 
the  later  Christians,  undoubtedly  resulted  in  the  cure  of  many 
sufferers,  because  it  inspired  honest  souls  to  believe.  They 
were  able,  in  measure,  to  translate  themselves  from  the  realm 
of  the  fear  life  into  that  of  the  faith  life,  and,  accordingly, 
they  experienced  improvement  in  their  physical  feelings,  and  in 
many  instances  recovery  from  bodily  disease. 

The  working  of  charms  and  other  forms  of  Oriental  soph- 
istry, undoubtedly  operated  along  these  same  lines.  The  sick 
and  suffering  would  hang  something  about  their  necks,  pin 
their  faith  to  it,  and  begin  to  feel  better  right  away.  The 
author  well  remembers  wearing  a  little  bag  of  asafcetida  hung 


y 


FAITH  GENERATORS  AND  FEAR  DE5TR0YER5 
ANCIENT  MODERN 


FAITH 
^""^     -HEALTH^ 


\  MESMERISM 

1 
HYPNOTISM 

/ 
MENTAL  TELEPATHY 

/ 

/    SUGGESTION 

/ 

[/    FAITH  HEALING 

// 

/     CLAIRVOYANCE 

FAITH      1/ 
THE^^^^ 

/ 

CHRISTIAN  SCIENCE 

MASTER  V 
KEY        1 

\  SPIRITUALISM 

W  MAGNETIC  HEALING 

\  PATENT   MEDICINE 

|1   PLACEBOS 

1   FETISHES 

.%      ; 

1  QUACK  DOCTORS 

,      ,-,    *,    , 

NOMINAL 

PRAYING 

FIG.  15. 


DIAGRAM    SHOWING  ANCIENT  AND  MODERN 
FAITH  GENERATORS  AND  FEAR   DESTROYERS 


THE  PSYCHOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND.  FEAR      loi 

around  his  neck,  when  a  child,  "to  keep  disease  away."  The 
practice  was  common  at  that  time. 

The  old  teachings  of  demonology  and  astrology  operated 
along  the  same  line.  The  sick  and  suffering  were  led  to 
.believe  that  doing  certain  things  on  certain  days,  when  the 
stars  were  in  certain  positions,  would  lead  to  the  recovery  of 
health,  and  they  believed  it  with  sufficient  ardor  actually  to 
influence  the  mind  and  body,  and  in  many  cases  they  no  doubt 
did  obtain  some  relief  from  their  mental  anguish  or  physical 
suffering. 

The  pagan  superstitions  of  the  "  temple  sleep  "  and  the  Chris- 
tian nonsense  of  shrine  worship,  belong  to  the  same  cate- 
gory. The  earnest  and  ignorant  devotees  of  these  ancient 
superstitions  were  helped  mentally  and  physically  to  just  the 
extent  that  their  devotion  was  able  to  dispel  fear  and  give 
birth  to  faith.  Fear  was  responsible  for  much  of  their  suffer- 
ing and  faith  brought  deliverance  therefrom. 

The  beating  of  Chinese  tom-toms  or  laying  on  of  holy  hands 
Operated  to  inspire  faith  on  the  part  of  the  sufferers  and 
abolish  fear,  and,  to  just  the  extent  that  they  were  able  to  do 
this,  they  proved  of  value  in  aiding  recovery  from  mental 
suffering  and  bodily  disease. 

The  ancient  practices  of  sacrifices,  penance,  and  even  of 
praying,  all  operated  in  accordance  with  this  same  great  and 
universal  law  of  mind  healing  —  the  exercise  of  faith  and  the 
suppression  of  fear. 

Likewise,  when  we  come  to  consider  the  modern  methods  of 
generating  faith  and  removing  fear,  we  are  able  to  discover 
only  a  difference  in  technique.  Science  and  civilization  have 
made  it  necessary  to  revise  and  rearrange  the  methods  whereby 
we  seek  to  replace  mental  fear  with  moral  faith.  Accordingly, 
mesmerism  and  hypnotism  have  come  largely  to  be  practised 
as  means  of  relieving  sickness  and  lessening  swffering,  and  it 
is  a  well-known  fact  that  these  practices  are  valueless  if  the 
sufferer  does  not  have  faith;  in  fact,  they  are  quite  impossible 
to  use  unless  those  whom  they  are  designed  to  benefit,  yield  im- 
plicit faith  and  trust  to  the  hypnotic  operator.  These  modern 
practices,    together    with    present-day    superstitions    such    as 


102       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

mental  telepathy,  all  operate  in  accordance  with  the  same  old 
law  —  the  creation  of  faith  and  the  abolition  of   fear. 

Our  modern  methods  of  suggestive  therapeutics  are  but  a 
utilization  of  this  same  law  of  mental  healing.  To  the  victims 
of  fright,  to  those  who  fear  that  they  cannot  get  well,  to  those 
who  worry  because  they  do  not  get  well,  to  those  who  are 
sure  they  never  can  get  well,  it  is  quietly  suggested  that  they 
are  getting  well,  and  it  makes  no  matter  whether  the  suggestion 
is  true  or  false,  it  is  of  no  difference  whether  it  comes  from 
the  patient's  own  mind,  or  from  the  mind  of  a  friend  or  from 
his  physician,  as  the  new  ideas  of  faith  are  allowed  to  displace 
those  of  fear,  the  individual  begins  to  experience  certain 
beneficial  results  in  the  way  of  mental  improvement  and  phys- 
ical recovery. 

And  so  we  come  to  faith  healing  —  laying  aside  the  dis- 
cussion of  everything  that  pertains  to  the  operation  of  so- 
called  miracles,  or  the  miraculous  acts  of  olden  times  —  con- 
sidering faith  healing  merely  a  restoration  of  health  as 
the  result  of  the  beneficent  action  of  faith  on  the  mind,  as  the 
result  of  the  influence  of  faith  upon  the  body,  and  finally  as  the 
result  of  its  banishment  of  the  disease-producing  fear  thoughts 
which  preceded  it.  There  can  be  no  question  that  faith  is 
able  to  cure  many  diseases,  to  influence  the  body  favorably  in 
its  struggles  with  affliction;  while  it  is  of  undoubted  value  as 
an  aid  in  the  treatment  of,  and  the  recovery  from,  all  diseases 
—  even  those  organic  and  chronic  diseases  which  it  cannot 
directly  cure,  and  for  which  fear  thought  was  not  wholly  re- 
sponsible.* 

Clairvoyance  and  magnetic  healing  have  been  operated  in 
recent  times  for  the  removal  of  mental  distress,  fear,  and 
physical  suffering,  in  harmony  with  these  same  principles. 
Even  phrenology  belongs  more  or  less  to  this  category.    Men 


*The  author  desires  distinctly  to  emphasize  that  the  "  faith " 
herewith  discussed,  is  psychologic  faith,  and  not  theologic  or  Chris- 
tian faith  —  it  is  the  state  of  mental  hope  and  confidence  common 
to  all  mankind,  and  not  that  sublime  and  supernatural  faith  which 
is  the  exclusive  possession  of  the  saints  —  of  those  who  have,  in 
accordance  with  the  Master's  words,  been  "born  again.  " 


THE  PSYCHOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR      103 

and  women  have  been  told  that  such  and  such  things  would 
happen;  that  thus  and  so  they  would  come  to  pass.  They 
had  faith  in  the  clairvoyant,  in  the  phrenologist,  or  in  the 
magnetic  healer ;  and  as  faith  or  fear  was  strengthened  by  these 
interviews,  health  or  disease,  happiness  or  distress,  was  pro- 
moted in  the  patient's  experience. 

Christian  Science  has  accomplished  its  wonderful  work 
along  the  lines  of  this  same  law  of  mental  healing.  This 
modern  cult  is  so  typical  of  how  all  ancient  healing  delusions 
and  modern  health  deceptions  have  operated  upon  the  human 
mind,  it  will  be  subsequently  more  fully  dealt  with  in  a  later 
chapter,  after  we  have  completed  our  consideration  of  the 
influences  of  faith  and  fear  upon  both  mind  and  body.  Spir- 
itualism and  other  spiritistic  phenomena  are  also  to  be  ex- 
plained by  this  same  universal  law  of  mind  healing,  so  far  as 
regards  their  effects  and  influence  upon  the  physical  functions 
of  the  body. 

r^And  so  patent  medicines,  placebos,  and  quack  doctors  have 
largely   cured  their   patients   because   of   the    confidence   they 

'  inspired,  the  faith  they  generated,  the  assurance  they  gave, 
^  their  glowing  promises,  and  their  unqualified  guarantee  to  cure. 
The  sufferer  who  has  swallowed  a  dose  of  patent  medicine, 
N  after  having  read  a  score  of  glowing  testimonials  (their 
fraudulent  and  lying  character  in  no  way  interferes  with  their 
power  in  this  case)  begins  immediately  to  feel  better,  not  only 
because  of  the  alcohol  or  other  stimulants  contained  in  the 
medicine  which  was  swallowed,  but  also  because  the  patient 
has,  for  once,  become  possessed  with  the  idea  that  he  is  going 
to  get  well.  He  has  faith  in  the  newly  discovered  medicine. 
It  cured  other  people  —  he  believes  it  will  cure  him;  and  to  just 
the  extent  that  fear  moves  out  and  faith  takes  possession  of 
his  mind,  he  begins  actually  to  get  better,  the  physical  func- 
tions of  the  body  take  on  a  more  natural,  normal,  and  healthy 
movement. 

Did  not  the  quack  doctor,  in  his  newspaper  advertisements, 
claim  to  possess  extraordinary  and  unusual  skill  ?  Whereas 
the  regular  doctor  had  not  arrived  at  a  positive  diagnosis  and 
would  not  even  promise  definite  improvement,  did  not  the  quack 


104      THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

feel  the  pulse,  look  at  the  tongue,  and  instantly  make  a  posi- 
tive diagnosis  ?  Did  he  not  guarantee  to  cure  the  disease  in 
six  weeks  ?  The  positive  manner,  the  absolute  assurance,  the 
apparent  mastery  and  complete  understanding  of  the  case  man- 
ifested by  the  quack,  inspired  faith  on  the  part  of  the  sufferer. 
Fear  begins  to  flee.  The  patient  becomes  possessed  with  the 
idea  that  he  is  going  to  get  well,  that  the  quack  can  cure  him, 
and  this  very  fact  explains  why  the  inefficient,  ignorant,  and 
unscrupulous  quack,  by  means  of  his  commonplace  medicines, 
is  able  to  cure  many  patients  who  have  found  no  relief  at  the 
hands  of  the  most  conscientious,  skilful,  and  learned  practi- 
tioners. The  regular  practitioner  was  not  conversant  with  the 
practice  of  suggestive  therapeutics.  He  did  not  know  how 
honestly  and  scientifically  to  generate  faith  and  destroy  fear 
in  the  mind  of  his  patient,  and  this  the  quack  doctor  uncon- 
sciously did  by  the  very  methods  and  deceptions  of  his  igno- 
rance and  quackery;  and  so  hundreds  of  sufferers  have  been 
relieved  by  the  administration  of  placebos  —  sugar  pills  and 
bread  pellets. 

And  so  the  fetishes  of  the  ignorant  heathen,  and  the  charms 
and  "lucky"  objects  of  the  civilized  nations,  all  influence  the 
minds  of  those  who  believe  in  them,  by  their  power  to  increase 
faith  or  decrease  fear.  Some  heathen  tribes  are  literally 
fetish-ridden  —  they  are  unable  to  work,  eat,  or  sleep,  except 
under  the  protection  of  their  favorite  fetish. 

SUMMARY  OF  THE   CHAPTER 

1.  The  term  fear  is  made  to  include  pessimism,  dissatisfac- 
tion, grief,  anxiety,  despondency,  hatred,  worry,  moroseness, 
anger,  and  vacillation;  while  faith  represents  the  state  of  opti- 
mism, satisfaction,  happiness,  confidence,  assurance,  hopefulness, 
cheerfulness,  courage,  and  determination. 

2.  Faith  is  essential  to  healthy  mental  action.  Fear  demor- 
alizes the  intellect.  Every  bodily  sensation  is  capable  of  being 
perverted  and  distorted  by  fear. 

3.  Fear  intensifies  pain,  misinterprets  sensation,  exaggerates 
abnormal  feelings,  and  gives  rise  to  false  ideas  regarding  the 
bodily  state. 

4.  Faith  favors  the  normal  working  of  the  nervous  mechan- 


THE  PSYCHOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR      105 

ism,  while  fear  may  give  origin  to  false  sensations,  fraudulent 
feelings,  and  bogus  impressions. 

5.  Fear  destroys  the  power  of  the  mind  to  reflect.  It  pre- 
disposes to  panicky  and  premature  mental  action.  It  produces 
mental  dyspepsia. 

6.  Faith  steadies  the  imagination.  Fear  demoralizes  the 
imagination  and  deranges  the  whole  process  of  mental  diges- 
tion. Even  the  power  of  memory  is  lessened  by  chronic  fear 
or  worry. 

7.  Fear  interferes  with  the  normal  and  healthy  association 
of  ideas  —  it  relatively  paralyzes  the  higher  mental  powers  of 
judgment  and  reason. 

8.  Fear  is  a  mental  blight,  a  moral  mildew,  and  an  intel- 
lectual poison.  It  warps  the  temperament  and  stunts  the 
character. 

9.  In  both  the  child  and  the  adult,  fear  —  it  matters  not  how 
generated  —  unfailingly  makes  for  disease  and  distress;  while 
faith  is  health-generating. 

10.  Any  practice,  religion,  belief,  or  other  system  of  healing, 
no  matter  how  false  or  foolish,  if  it  is  able  to  destroy  fear  and 
give  origin  to  faith,  will  prove  itself  able  to  cure  disease  and 
heal  the  sick  in  sufficient  numbers  to  establish  its  claims  as 
a  new  religion  —  perhaps  as  the  only  genuine  belief. 

11.  The  Indian  medicine-man,  the  idol-worshippers,  the  relic 
devotees,  the  charm-wearers,  and  a  score  of  other  healers  and 
practices  have  all  been  able  to  cure  disease  because  they  in- 
spired faith  on  the  part  of  the  health-seeker.  Faith  makes 
for  health,  no  matter  by  what  name  it  is  called. 

12.  Clairvoyance,  magnetic  healing.  Christian  Science,  quack- 
ery, and  other  psychic  and  mental  methods  of  healing,  all 
utilize  the  same  universal  law  of  mental  healing  —  mental 
rest,  the  generation  of  faith,  and  the  destruction  of  doubts 
and  fears. 


CHAPTER  X 

FAITH  THE  MASTER  KEY  TO  MENTAL  MEDICINE 

The  law  of  mental  healing. —  Summary  of  the  elements, 
qualities,  and  factors  entering  into  the  meaning  of  the 
terms  "  faith  "  and  "  fear  "  as  used  in  this  text. 

AND  SO  it  would  appear  that  any  practice,  procedure,  be- 
lief, medicine,  cult,  or  ism  which  is  able  to  generate  faith 
and  destroy  fear,  possesses  definite  curative  powers  in  the  treat- 
ment of  mental  and  physical  disease.  The  fact  that  the  sick 
and  the  suffering  recover  under  such  treatment  in  no  way 
proves  that  the  religion,  ethics,  or  other  ideas  or  ideals  of  those 
who  treat  them  are  either  right  or  wrong.  A  wicked  chemist 
can  produce  water  by  adding  two  atoms  of  hydrogen  to  one 
atom  of  oxygen,  just  as  surely  and  unfailingly  as  can  the 
most  devout  and  prayerful,  church-going,  Christian  chemist. 
It  is  not  a  matter  of  religion,  character,  or  divinity ;  it  is  simply 
a  proposition  in  chemistry;  and  the  laws  of  chemistry,  like 
those  of  gravitation,  operate  with  unerring  accuracy  in  the 
hands  of  the  good,  the  bad,  or  the  indifferent. 

And  so  the  law  of  mental  healing  —  faith  is  a  health-pro- 
ducer;  fear  is  a  disease-producer  —  operates  when  it  is  con- 
sciously or  unconsciously  utilized  by  any  and  all  persons,  at 
any  and  all  times,  and  in  any  and  all  places.  If  John  Alex- 
ander Dowie  prayed  for  you  and  you  got  well,  your  recovery 
in  no  wise  constitutes  evidence  that  Dowie  was  a  better  man 
than  the  minister  who  prayed  for  you  before,  when  you  did 
not  get  well.  It  simply  means  that  Dowie's  means  and  meth- 
ods—  his  dress  and  personal  appearance,  what  you  had  heard 
about  him,  and  what  he  said  to  you  —  resulted  in  making  such 
a  mental  impression  upon  you  that  faith  came  into  its  own, 
took  possession  of  your  mind,  routed  fear,  and  banished  doubt. 

io6 


FAITH  THE  MASTER  KEY 


107 


You  threw  your  whole  mind  into  the  one  grand  conclusion 
that  you  were  going  to  he  healed,  and  many  who  did  this  were 
apparently  healed,  and,  not  understanding  the  laws  of  mind  and 
matter  underlying  their  healing,  they  immediately  espoused  the 
peculiar  cause  of  the  healer,  adopted  his  beliefs  as  their  be- 
liefs, his  religion  as  their  religion,  and  his  way  of  living  as 
their  way  of  living;  and  in  this  way  vast  churches,  cults,  and 
isms  have  been  built  up  in  both  ancient  and  modern  times. 
Practically  every  new  cult  in  recent  years  has  begun  its  career 
by  claims  and  attempts  to  heal  disease  and  relieve  suffering. 

The  same  patient  who  was  thus  apparently  healed  by  re- 
peating a  form  of  prayer  —  nominal  praying  —  would  have 
been  healed  by  any  other  method,  agency,  procedure,  or  prac- 
tice, which  would  have  generated  an  equivalent  amount  of 
faith.  Had  that  transcendent  psychic  faith  which  possessed 
his  soul  at  the  moment  of  healing  been  generated  by  hypnotism, 
spiritualism,  patent  medicines,  or  by  a  visit  to  a  holy  shrine, 
he  would  have  gotten  well  just  as  truly  and  just  as  quickly. 

And  so  it  becomes  apparent  that  the  healing  of  disease  by 
means  of  faith,  or  by  so-called  prayer  or  by  any  other  method, 
in  no  wise  proves  that  the  healer  is  a  special  agent  of  God, 
that  his  religion  is  the  one  true  belief,  or  that  his  ethical 
teachings  are  right.  Fear,  then,  is  seen  to  be  one  great  barrier 
to  the  recovery  from  sickness  and  the  healing  of  disease. 
Faith  becomes  the  master  key  which  unlocks  many  an  ancient 
medical  mystery  and  explains  many  apparent  modern  miracles. 
Faith  is  the  great  key  of  mental  healing.  Mental  rest  is  the 
keystone  of  the  arch  of  health. 

A    Summary   of   the   Elements,    Qualities,    and    Factors 

Entering  into  the  Meaning  of  the  Terms  "  Faith  " 

AND  *'  Fear  "  as  Used  in  this  Text 


the  faith  life 
I.  Optimism:  Sanguineness. 
Cheerfulness.  Hopeful  dis- 
position. Light-heartedness. 
Belief  that  "all  things  work 
together  for  good." 


the  fear   LIFE 

Pessimism:  Hopelessness. 
Dejection.  Gloomy  and  de- 
spondent outlook.  Magnifi- 
cation of  evil  and  sorrow. 
Looking  on  the  dark  side. 


io8       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 


THE    FAITH    LIFE 

2.  Satisfaction:  Contentedness. 
Resignation.  Comfortable- 
ness. 

3.  Happiness:  Pleasure.  Fe- 
licity. Blessedness.  Enjoy- 
ment.   Smiling  face. 

4.  Confidence:  Faith.  Deep- 
rooted  belief.  Firmness. 
Steadfastness.      Security. 

5.  Assurance:  Boldness.  Mak- 
ing a  declaration  to  oneself. 
Conviction.  Freedom  from 
doubt.  Looking  on  the 
bright  side. 

6.  Trustfulness:  Implicit  confi- 
dence. Faithfulness.  Fully 
making  up  one's  mind.  Put- 
ting the  mind  at  rest. 

7.  Hopefulness:  Expectation. 
Confidence  in  the  future. 
Good-humor.  Self-confidence. 
Bright-facedness.  Cheerful 
disposition. 

8.  Certainty:  Positiveness. 
Sureness.  Indisputability. 
Unfailingness.  Absoluteness. 
Solidity.  Independence.  Un- 
questionableness. 

9.  Love:  Emotion.  Sentiment. 
Kind-heartedness.  Sympathy. 
Affection.  Devotion.  At- 
tachment. Fondness.  Admi- 
ration. Adoration.  Brotherli- 
ness.    Fellow-feeling. 

10.  Cheerfulness :  Animation. 

Good  spirits.  Joyfulness, 
Mirthfulness.  Gladness.  Vi- 
vacity. Buoyancy.  E  a  s  y- 
mindedness.  Trustfulness. 
Comfort.   Perfect  happiness. 


THE    FEAR    LIFE 

2.  Dissatisfaction:  Discontent- 
edness.  Uneasiness.  Fretful- 
ness.    Disappointment. 

3.  Grief:  Sorrow.  Sadness. 
Heart-sickness.  "  Broken- 
hearted."    Drooping    spirits. 

4.  Alarm:  Misgiving.  Fright. 
Terror.  Dread.  Consterna- 
tion. Insecurity.  Apprehen- 
sion.   Panic. 

5.  Timidity:  Dismayedness 
Diffidence.  Faint-heartedness. 
Nervousness.  "  Bugaboos." 
Throbbing  heart.  Fear  and 
trembling. 

6.  Anxiety:  Care.  Doubtful- 
ness. Solicitude.  Foreboding. 
Perplexity,  Watchfulness. 
Disquietude.    Suspense. 

7.  Despondency:  Hopelessness. 
Discouragement.  Despair. 
Down-heartedness.  Melan- 
choly. Gloom.  Sadness. 
"  The  blues." 

8.  Suspicion:  Mistrust.  Conjec- 
ture. Jealousy.  Uncertainty. 
Dubiousness.  Questionable- 
ness.  Hesitation.  Scepticism. 
Ignorance.    Vagueness. 

9.  Hatred:  Antipathy.  Aver- 
sion. Abhorrence.  Detesta- 
tion. Hostility.  Animosity. 
Bitterness.  Malice.  Grudge. 
Contemptuousness.  Lack  of 
sympathy.     "  Bad  blood." 

10.  Worry:  Disquietude.  Bad 
spirits.  Heaviness.  Trouble. 
Perplexity.  Turmoil.  Harass- 
ment. Irritation.  Vexation. 
Annoyance.  Hypochondria. 
Depression.    Melancholy. 


FAITH  THE  MASTER  KEY 


109 


THE   FAITH   LIFE 

11.  Courage:  Bravery.  Power  to 
face  difficulties  without  de- 
pression of  spirits.  Valor.  In- 
trepidity. Resolution.  Forti- 
tude. Firmness.  Fearlessness. 
Spunk.  "  Bearding  the  lion 
in  his  den."  "Taking  the 
bull  by  the  horns." 

12.  Patience:  Endurance.  Sub- 
mission. Calmness.  Forbear- 
ance. Perseverance.  Resigna- 
tion. Composure.  Inexcita- 
bility.  Serenity.  Tranquillity. 
Coolness.  Imperturbability. 
Repression  of  feeling. 

13.  Enthusiasm:  Exhilaration. 
Ardent  zeal.  Sunniness.  Zeal- 
ousness.  Heartiness.  Jubi- 
lance. Brightness.  Joyous- 
ness.  Good-humor.  High 
spirits.    Enlivening  the  spirits. 

14.  Conscientiousness:  Scrupu- 
lousness. Duteousness.  Al- 
legiance. Morality.  Con- 
stancy. Fidelity.  Honesty. 
Incorruptibility.  Justice.  Loy- 
alty. Principle.  Purity.  Recti- 
tude. Truth.  Veracity.  "  Be- 
ing true  to  one's  colors." 

15.  Determination:  Decision.  The 
ability  to  make  up  one's  mind. 
Firmness.  Pluckiness.  Te- 
nacity. Steadiness.  Fixedness. 
Immovableness.  Self-control. 
Self-reliance.  Strong-minded- 
ness. Will-power.  Readiness 
to  "go  through  fire  and 
water."  Moral  courage. 
Sturdiness. 


THE    FEAR    LIFE 

11.  Cowardice:  Pusillanimity. 
Unwillingness  to  face  diffi- 
culties. Irresolution.  Spirit- 
lessness.  Effeminacy.  Skit- 
tishness.  Softness.  Losing 
one's  nerve.  "  Showing  the 
white  feather."  Chicken- 
heartedness. 

12.  Anger:  Revengefulness.  In- 
d  i  g  n  a  t  i  on.  Resentment. 
Wrathfulness.  Fury.  Rage. 
Ire.  Fierceness.  Exaspera- 
tion. Fieriness.  Irritability. 
Vehemence.  Frenzy.  Rant. 
Bombast.    Impulsiveness. 

13.  Moroseness:  Su  1 1  e  n  n  e  s  s. 
Crabbedness.  Dumpishness. 
Peevishness.  Crossness.  Sour- 
ness. Surliness.  Sulkiness. 
Cantankerousness.  Glumness. 
Bad  temper.  Restlessness.  Ill- 
humor. 

14.  Remorse:  Anguish.  Regret. 
Dishonor.  Disgrace.  Crook- 
edness. Penitence.  Sinful- 
ness. Sorrow.  Self-accusa- 
tion. Self-reproach.  Self- 
condemnation.      Betrayal     of 

trust.      A      burdened      mind. 
Pangs  of  conscience. 

15.  Vacillation:  Changeableness. 
Fluctuation  of  mind.  Un- 
steadiness of  character. 
Fickleness.  Waveringness. 
Hesitancy.  Half-heartedness. 
Inconstancy.  Indecision. 
"Blowing  hot  and  cold." 
Double-mindedness.         Dubi- 

tancy.     Mutability. 


i 


PART   II 
PHYSIOLOGIC    SECTION 


PART  II 
PHYSIOLOGIC  SECTION 

CHAPTER  XI 

HOW  THE  EMOTIONS   AFFECT  THE  HEART 

The  heart's  strength. —  The  cardiac  rhythm. —  The  heart 
RATE. —  The  heart's  rest. —  Nutrition  of  the  heart. —  The 
cardiac  endurance. —  The  cardiac  nerve  centres. —  The 
heart's  emotional  response. —  The  cardiac  psychic  re- 
sponse.—  Sensations  referred  to  the  heart. —  Compara- 
tive SUMMARY  OF  THE  EFFECTS  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR  ON  THE 
HEART  ACTION. 

THE  Study  of  preceding  chapters  will  suffice  to  show  the 
tremendous  influence  exerted  by  the  emotional  states  of 
faith  and  fear  upon  both  mind  and  body.  Careful  considera- 
tion has  been  given  to  the  psychology  of  faith  and  fear,  and  it  is 
now  in  order  to  consider  more  in  detail  the  physiology  of  faith 
and  fear. 

For  many  years  the  author  has  painstakingly  collected  hun- 
dreds of  authentic  experiments  and  careful  observations  respect- 
ing the  influence  of  the  mind  upon  the  body.  Many  of  these 
experiments  and  observations  he  has  verified  in  his  own  clinic 
and  laboratory,  while  other  and  original  inquiries  have  been 
carried  forward  for  the  purpose  of  accurately  determining  the 
exact  range  of  the  influence  of  the  diversified  mental  states  upon 
definite  bodily  functions. 

While  it  would  be  out  of  place  in  a  popular  work  of  this  sort 
to  undertake  to  present  detailed  laboratory  experiments,  or  to 
offer  technical  evidence  of  clinical  observations  touching  these 
matters;  we  will,  nevertheless,  present  a  full  and  complete  out- 
line of  the  facts  touching  every  phase  of  the  subject  of  mind  as 
related  to  matter,  as  determined  by  physiological  and  psycho- 
logical experiments  and  observations. 

And  so,  while  avoiding  the  details  and  technicalities  of  our 

113 


114       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

conclusions,  we  will  outline  in  this  and  following  chapters  the 
fundamental  facts  touching  the  physiology  of  faith  and  fear,  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  give  the  reader  a  clear  and  definite  idea  as 
to  just  how  far  and  in  what  manner  the  mental  state  is  able, 
directly  or  indirectly,  to  influence  and  modify  the  physical  func- 
tions of  the  human  body.  As  a  rule,  fear  operates  to  depress 
and  retard  the  vital  functions,  and  this  is  brought  about  by  the 
inhibition  of  those  vital  functions  whose  controlling  centres  are 
located  in  the  medulla. 

THE   HEART   STRENGTH 

Common  everyday  experience  goes  to  show  that  the  heart  ac- 
tion is  exceedingly  sensitive  and  highly  responsive  to  the  most 
delicate  shades  of  variation  in  the  mental  state.  There  is  abso- 
lutely nothing  mysterious  about  the  manner  in  which  the  mind 
influences  cardiac  action,  although,  of  course,  the  process  of 
tracing  out  all  the  exact  details  of  the  modus  operandi  is  only 
imperfectly  understood. 

Under  the  influence  of  faith  and  its  associated  optimistic 
state  of  mind,  the  strength  of  the  heart-beat  is  strong,  normal, 
and  natural.  Unusual  mental  buoyancy  may  even  increase  the 
heart  strength.  The  vigor  of  the  heart  action  increases  hand  in 
hand  with  the  development  of  courage  and  the  acquisition  of 
confidence.  On  the  other  hand,  fear  and  other  phases  of  the 
mental  state  bordering  on  pessimism  not  infrequently  tend  act- 
ually to  decrease  the  strength  of  the  heart's  action.  Fear 
unfailingly  demoralizes  the  cardiac  functions  and  greatly 
weakens  the  power  of  the  heart-beat. 

Joy  always  increases  the  strength  of  the  heart  action,  while 
terror  never  fails  greatly  to  depress  the  heart,  after  a  very  brief 
initial  period  of  excitability  and  rapid  action. 

We  were  once  summoned  to  the  bedside  of  a  patient  whose 
heart  action  was  almost  suspended  as  the  result  of  a  frightful 
hemorrhage.  The  pulse  was  not  perceptible  at  the  wrist  and  the 
heart  had  all  but  given  up  the  struggle.  While  the  attendants 
made  ready  to  inject  salt  solution  and  administer  restoratives, 
we  spoke  to  the  patient  in  very  positive  and  assuring  terms,  in 
answer  to  her  question  as  to  whether  or  not  she  was  dying,  and 
immediately  —  almost  instantly  —  before  a  single  material  thing 


THE  EMOTIONS  AND  THE  HEART  115 

had  been  done  for  her,  she  began  to  rally:  the  heart  began  to 
beat  with  increased  vigor,  in  less  than  one  minute  the  pulse 
could  be  distinctly  felt  at  the  wrist,  and  in  but  a  few  minutes 
she  had  almost  completely  rallied  from  a  threatened  collapse. 
This  was  very  evidently  a  case  of  heart-rally  in  response  to  cer- 
tain stimuli  and  nervous  energy,  originated  and  directed  by 
that  potent  and  powerful  mental  force,  faith.  It  is  easy  to 
imagine  what  might  have  been  the  outcome  of  such  a  case 
had  the  priest  been  called,  the  candles  lighted,  and  the  last 
rites  performed. 

THE   CARDIAC   RHYTHM 

The  mental  states  of  faith  and  assurance  favor  natural  regu- 
larity of  the  heart  action,  thus  enabling  the  heart  muscle  to  do 
the  greatest  amount  of  work  with  the  least  expenditure  of  vital 
energy.  Fear  and  anxiety  usually  produce  more  or  less  irreg- 
ularity of  the  heart's  action,  while  acute  fright  and  unusual 
apprehension  may  result  in  producing  actual  palpitation  of  the 
heart.  The  normal,  natural,  galloping  rhythm  of  the  heart's 
action  is  more  or  less  destroyed  by  every  form  of  fear  and 
worry. 

It  is  doubtful  if  there  are  to  be  found  many  cases  of  inter- 
mittent pulse  which  are  not  largely  or  wholly  due  to  some  form 
of  mental  disturbance  —  worry,  shock,  fear,  or  sorrow. 

The  mind  undoubtedly  influences  the  rhythm  of  the  heart  by 
its  indirect  power  upon  the  cardiac  centres  of  the  sympathetic 
system.  The  instances  of  complete  heart  failure  from  mental 
shock  must  be  due  to  a  paralysis  of  the  sympathetic  centres. 

THE  HEART  RATE 

In  every  way,  faith  and  trust  favor  the  normal  rate  of  the 
heart's  action.  They  prevent  unduly  rapid  activity  of  the  heart 
muscle,  and  thus  postpone  the  evil  day  of  partial  or  complete 
heart  failure.  Mental  rest  not  only  favors  a  rhythmic  action  of 
the  heart,  but  also  favors  a  more  natural  rate  of  heart-beat; 
that  is,  the  contented  mind  allows  the  heart  to  beat  just  the 
right  number  of  times  per  minute.  Fear  usually  increases  the 
heart  action  —  greatly  increases  the  number  of  heart-beats  per 
minute.  This  abnormal  activity  leads  to  early  breaking  down 
of  the  heart's  strength  and  to  premature  heart  failure. 


Ii6      THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

Many  years  ago  attention  was  called  to  the  fact  that  anxiety 
and  apprehension  contributed  much  to  the  causation  and  aggra- 
vation of  Graves's  disease,  or  exophthalmic  goitre.  The  author 
recently  had  a  case  of  this  sort  of  goitre  under  treatment,  and 
careful  observation  showed  unquestionably  that  the  mental 
states  of  faith  and  fear  exerted  a  tremendous  influence  either 
to  improve  or  to  intensify  the  general  nervous  symptoms  of  the 
disease,  especially  the  rate  and  rhythm  of  the  heart-beat.  In 
the  treatment  of  all  cases  of  exophthalmic  goitre,  care  should 
be  exercised  to  see  that  the  mind  is  put  to  rest  and  filled  with 
hopeful  and  pleasant  thoughts,  and  that  the  bowels  move  reg- 
ularly and  freely. 

The  mind  is  able  to  influence  the  heart  rate  —  causing  it  to 
beat  rapidly  under  the  influence  of  fear  —  by  central  impulses 
going  to  the  heart  over  the  accelerator  nerve;  while  faith  op- 
erates by  way  of  the  inhibitory  nerve,  holding  the  heart  action 
down  with  a  firm  and  steady  hand,  thus  enabling  the  body  to 
derive  the  greatest  possible  benefit  from  the  least  possible  ex- 
ertion and  work  on  the  part  of  the  cardiac  muscle. 

THE   heart's   rest 

The  heart  is  a  muscular  organ.  Like  all  other  muscles  it 
must  have  periods  of  rest  between  its  periods  of  work,  in  order 
to  recuperate  its  energy  and  rebuild  its  broken-down  struc- 
tures. The  heart  muscle  secures  this  period  of  rest  during 
what  is  known  as  its  "  diastolic  pause  "  —  the  momentary  rest 
between  the  heart-beats. 

The  mental  state  exerts  considerable  influence  upon  the 
heart's  strength  by  determining  the  length  of  this  pause  be- 
tween the  heart-beats.  Faith  exerts  a  favorable  influence  upon 
the  heart  rate  and  rhythm  by  encouraging  a  natural  and  ade- 
quate rest  between  beats,  thus  enabling  the  heart  to  keep  up  its 
normal  energy,  and,  in  case  of  the  weak  heart,  actually  to  gain 
in  strength.  On  the  other  hand,  the  fearful  and  distrustful 
state  of  mind  produces  irregularity  of  rhythm  and  abnormal 
rapidity  of  the  heart  action,  and  so  greatly  shortens  the  time  of 
the  heart  rest:  the  diastolic  pause  is  inadequate;  the  heart  fails 
to  get  its  proper  rest  between  beats. 

We  frequently  have  seen  cases  where  the  heart  was  rapidly 


THE  EMOTIONS  AND  THE  HEART  117 

failing  from  overwork  and  overstimulation  by  the  so-called 
heart  tonics,  which  would  show  marvellous  improvement  in 
strength  as  a  result  of  placing  an  ice  bag  directly  over  the  heart 
for  fifteen  minutes  every  hour,  coupled  with  rubbing  the  body 
to  increase  the  skin  circulation.  This  marked  improvement  in 
heart  action  is  no  doubt  largely  due  to  the  slowing  down  of  the 
cardiac  activity,  thus  allowing  the  heart  muscle  more  time  for 
rest  between  beats;  and  since  it  has  been  shown  that  faith  and 
hope  actually  slow  down  and  steady  the  heart  action,  is  it  not 
entirely  consistent  to  recognize  the  immense  value  of  these  nat- 
ural and  healthy  mental  states  in  the  important  work  of  secur- 
ing proper  heart  rest;  and  as  adequate  'heart  rest  promotes 
cardiac  nutrition  and  recuperation,  it  is  evident  that  faith  is 
indirectly  a  contributor  to  heart  strength. 

NUTRITION    OF   THE    HEART 

The  nutrition  of  the  heart  is  favored  by  a  peaceful  and  se- 
rene state  of  mind,  while  the  opposite  mental  states  of  unrest 
and  dissatisfaction,  by  their  power  to  disturb  the  heart's  regu- 
larity and  decrease  its  periods  of  rest,  greatly  interfere  with 
the  nutrition  of  this  important  vital  organ.  Cardiac  nutrition 
is  invariably  lessened  by  overwork  and  too  little  rest  on  the 
part  of  the  heart  muscle. 

There  is  little  doubt  that  certain  cases  of  angina  pectoris,  that 
disease  of  indescribable,  pain  in  the  region  of  the  heart  —  at 
least  the  so-called  pseudo  angina  —  are  indirectly  caused  by  poor 
nutrition  of  the  heart  muscle ;  and  we  are  coming  more  and  more 
to  recognize  the  important  role  played  by  the  mental  state  and 
the  nervous  system  as  factors  in  overworking  the  heart  and 
interfering  with  its  natural  and  normal  nutrition.  A  large 
number  of  experienced  physicians  believe  that  emotional  excite- 
ment and  mental  anxiety  figure  very  largely  in  the  production  of 
angina  pectoris.  A  vast  number  of  other  and  less  serious  pains 
in  the  region  of  the  heart  are  largely  the  result  of  mental  influ- 
ences plus  indigestion  and  gas  on  the  stomach. 

THE  CARDIAC  ENDURANCE 

Faith  actually  increases  the  endurance  of  the  heart  under 
stress  and  strain.  Determination  and  courage  are  even  able  to 
postpone  heart  failure  when  the  patient  is  at  the  very  point  of 


ii8       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

death.  It  is  not  an  uncommon  occurrence  to  find  an  aged 
father  or  mother  rapidly  sinking  into  the  grave,  who,  by  sheer 
determination  and  will-power,  are  actually  able  to  maintain 
the  heart's  action  until  the  children,  hastening  to  the  bedside, 
arrive;  then  after  a  last  farewell  they  willingly  give  up  the 
struggle,  to  pass  quickly  and  quietly  away.  That  fright  and 
fear  may  produce  heart  failure,  and  lead  to  immediate  death, 
is  a  well-known  and  firmly  established  fact.  Hundreds  of 
people  are  literally  frightened  to  death  every  year. 

THE  CARDIAC  NERVE  CENTRES 

The  nerve  centres  for  heart  action,  found  in  the  brain  and 
elsewhere,  are  all  favorably  influenced  by  pleasant  and  agree- 
able mental  states.  That  this  is  true  is  shown  by  the  expe- 
rience of  numerous  patients  suffering  from  functional  heart 
disease,  due  largely  to  fear  and  despondency,  who,  after  going 
completely  insane,  in  almost  every  instance,  fully  recover 
from  heart  disease.  While  this  can  hardly  be  offered  as  a  sug- 
gestive remedy  or  cure  for  functional  heart  diseases,  it  does 
go  a  long  way  toward  proving  that  mental  worry  and  anx- 
iety are  sometimes  able  to  produce  functional  heart  disturb- 
ances. Colonel  Townshend  was  able  at  will  temporarily  to 
stop  the  heart's  action  and  thus  simulate  death.  He  did  this 
once  too  often,  and  death  actually  took  place. 

On  the  other  hand,  direct  experiments  unquestionably  es- 
tablish the  fact  that  the  heart  centres  can  be  completely 
inhibited  and  absolutely  paralyzed  by  fear.  We  have  numer- 
ous cases  on  record  where  perfectly  healthy  persons  have 
been  actually  frightened  to  death. 

It  is  evident  that  faith  and  fear  are  able  profoundly  to  in- 
fluence the  nerve  centres  which  regulate  and  maintain  heart 
action. 

THE    heart's    EMOTIONAL    RESPONSE 

The  action  of  the  heart  is  most  natural  and  regular  when  it 
is  least  thought  of.  The  care-free  mental  state  favors  natural 
heart  action.  On  the  other  hand,  fear  and  every  other  form  of 
mental  anxiety  interfere  with  the  natural  action  of  the  heart, 
in  common  with  the  action  of  all  the  other  vital  organs.  If 
you  concentrate  your  mind  on  your  heart  you  will  immediately 


THE  EMOTIONS  AND  THE  HEART  119 

interfere  with  its  normal  action.  To  focus  one's  attention 
upon  the  heart  is  almost  sure  to  result  in  altering  its  beat  — 
its  rate  and  rhythm.  For  one  to  imagine  that  he  has  some 
form  of  heart  disease  is  enough,  in  itself,  speedily  to  produce 
a  cardiac  functional  disturbance  of  sufficient  gravity  to  be 
sooner  or  later  diagnosed  by  some  physician  as  a  heart  dis- 
ease. 

The  emotional  response  of  the  heart  is  probably  due  to 
sympathetic  action.  The  sensations  experienced  in  the  heart 
are  reflex  and  referred,  as  the  heart  itself  does  not  originate 
either  the  pleasant  or  disagreeable  sensations  commonly  referred 
to  it.  And  so,  while  the  heart  action  is  greatly  modified  by  the 
emotions  acting  through  the  sympathetic  nervous  system,  it  is 
quickened  or  slowed  or  even  stopped  by  extraordinary  mental 
shock,  through  the  action  of  the  tenth  nerve,  the  pneumogastric. 
Such  was  the  case  with  the  condemned  criminal,  who,  as  he 
was  about  to  be  beheaded,  was  reprieved  just  before  the  axe 
fell,  but  after  his  head  had  been  placed  on  the  execution  block. 
He  died  almost  instantly  from  fright  —  heart  failure. 

THE  CARDIAC  PSYCHIC  RESPONSE 

The  healthy  heart  beats  quietly  and  regularly  when  the  mind 
is  at  peace  and  free  from  fear.  Faith  is  the  ideal  and  natural 
mental  state,  so  far  as  healthy  heart  action  is  concerned.  Any 
agitation  of  the  mind  almost  immediately  produces  a  conscious 
thumping  of  the  heart  against  the  chest  wall.  The  relation 
between  the  mental  state  and  the  heart  muscle  is  direct,  and  the 
response  of  the  heart  muscle  to  mental  disturbance  is  immediate, 
well  defined,  and  clearly  established. 

An  English  physician  has  even  reported  a  case  of  actual 
dilatation  of  the  heart,  which  was  thought  to  be  due  to  a  general 
disturbance  of  the  mental  state,  with  particular  anxiety  respect- 
ing the  heart,  and  constant  concentration  of  the  mind  on  the 
cardiac  muscle. 

In  order  to  understand  the  nervous  mechanism  whereby  the 
emotions  influence  the  heart,  it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that 
the  heart  is  directly  regulated  by  two  great  sets  of  nerves: 
one,  the  accelerator,  which  hastens  the  action  of  the  heart;  the 
other,  the  inhibitor,  which  retards  or  checks  the  heart  action. 


120       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

The  accelerator  is  constantly  urging  the  heart  forward  —  whip- 
ping it  up,  as  it  were;  while  the  inhibitor  nerve  ever  holds  it 
back  —  putting  on  the  brakes.  It  is  like  the  case  of  the  driver, 
who,  while  he  urges  his  horse  forward  with  the  lash,  holds  a 
steady  and  firm  rein  lest  the  animal  become  uncontrollable  and 
dash  away.  The  inhibitor  nerve  serves  as  an  ever-acting  rein 
to  hold  the  heart  in,  while  the  accelerator  nerve  incessantly 
prods  the  heart  on. 

Fear  weakens  the  heart  by  means  of  a  double  mechanism: 
(i)  By  decreasing  the  impulses  arising  in  the  cardio-augmen- 
tor  centres  of  the  medulla  the  heart-beat  is  immediately  weak- 
ened; (2)  By  greatly  increasing  the  rapidity  of  the  heart  action. 
This  is  accomplished  through  the  influence  of  the  sympathetic 
system.  The  sympathetic  influences  whip  up  the  heart  action 
under  conditions  of  fright  and  fear  just  as  a  panic-stricken 
driver  sometimes  lashes  his  frightened  horse.  In  all  this  work 
the  heart  and  lungs  are  more  or  less  coordinate,  because  of  the 
association  of  their  respective  centres  in  the  medulla,  an  excess 
of  carbon  dioxid  (COg)  in  the  blood  producing  cardio-inhibition. 
And  so,  to  refer  again  to  the  illustration  of  the  driver,  the  reins, 
and  the  horse,  we  find  there  are  two  influences  at  work  to 
quicken  and  weaken  the  heart  action :  first,  the  application  of  the 
whip  —  the  sympathetic  impulses ;  second,  the  dropping  or  loos- 
ening of  the  reins  —  stopping  the  stimulating  impulses  coming 
from  the  augmentor  centres  of  the  medulla. 

SENSATIONS  REFERRED  TO  THE   HEART 

That  the  mental  state  directly  influences  the  heart  action, 
giving  rise  to  cardiac  sensations,  must  have  been  recognized  in 
times  of  remote  antiquity,  as  indicated  by  such  familiar  ex- 
pressions as  "my  heart  rejoices,"  and  "heart-rending  scenes." 
When  one  is  in  a  pleasant  frame  of  mind,  there  is  such  an 
exuberant  and  bounding  heart  action,  as  actually  to  lead  the 
overjoyed  soul  to  exclaim,  "  My  heart  rejoices."  These  are 
clearly  referred  sensations,  nevertheless,  they  indicate  the 
existence  of  a  close  nervous  connection  between  the  general 
mencal  state  and  the  reflex  or  referred  cardiac  sensations. 
Unpleasant  and  disagreeable  experiences  are  likewise  referred 
to  as  "  h<;<ii*t-breaking,"  "  heart-grieving."    We  also  speak  of  a 


THE  EMOTIONS  AND  THE  HEART 


121 


"  hearty  welcome,"  "  hearty  sympathy/'  "  kind-hearted  people," 
and  "  hard-hearted  people." 

Comparative  Summary  of  the  Effects  of  Faith  and  Fear 
ON  THE  Heart  Action 


faith 

1.  Heart  strength:  Increased. 
Normal  and  natural. 

2.  Rhythm:  Regularity  —  nor- 
mal regulation. 

3.  Rate:   Normal    slowness. 

4.  Rest  (diastolic)  :  Adequate; 
heart  gains  in  strength. 

5.  Nutrition:  Increased  by  rest 
and  regularity. 

6.  Endurance:  Postpones  heart 
failure  at  the  time  of  death. 

7.  Cardiac  centres:  Favorably 
influenced. 

8.  Emotional  response:  Action 
regular  when  not  thought  of. 

9.  Psychic  response:  Beats 
quietly  and  regularly  when 
the  mind  is  at  peace  and  free 
from  fear. 

10.  Referred  sensation:  Pleas- 
ant and  agreeable  —  "  My 
heart  rejoices," 


fear 

1.  Heart  strength:  Decreased. 
Weakened. 

2.  Rhythm:  Irregularity  —  pal- 
pitation. 

3.  Rate:   Abnormal  rapidity. 

4.  Rest  (diastoHc)  :  Inadequate; 
wearing  on  the  heart. 

5.  Nutrition:  Decreased  by 
overwork  and  under-rest. 

6.  Endurance:  Heart  failure  in 
case  of  profound  fear. 

7.  Cardiac  centres:  Depression 
and  paralysis. 

8.  Emotional  response:  Atten- 
tion alters  the  beat. 

9.  Psychic  response:  Conscious 
thumping  against  the  chest 
when  mind  is  agitated. 

10.  Referred  sensation:  Unpleas- 
ant and  disagreeable  — 
"  Heart-rending    scenes." 


CHAPTER  XII 

INFLUENCE   OF   THE   MIND   UPON    THE   CIRCULA- 
TORY SYSTEM 

The  blood-pressure. —  Arteriosclerosis,  hard  arteries. — 
Capillary  contraction. —  Circulatory  skin  reaction. — 
The  blood  movement. —  Local  congestions. —  Circulatory 
equilibrium. —  Apoplexy. —  The  pulse. —  Comparative 
summary  of  the  effects  of  faith  and  fear  on  the  circu- 
lation OF  THE  BLOOD. 

IN  a  general  way,  we  have  long  known  that  the  state  of  the 
mind  has  much  to  do  with  the  circulation  of  the  blood; 
but  not  until  the  matter  was  put  to  actual  experiment  was  it 
known  in  just  what  manner,  and  to  what  degree,  the  mind 
could  influence  and  control  the  circulation,  and  thereby  in- 
directly control  the  health  and  regulate  the  nutrition  of  the 
body. 

THE  BLOOD-PRESSURE 

Careful  experiments  have  demonstrated  that  faith  and  its 
allied  mental  states  favor  normal  blood-pressure.  Faith  and 
trust  actually  possess  some  remedial  power,  in  that  they  are 
able,  in  some  instances,  to  lower  the  blood-pressure  when  it  is 
abnormally  high.  The  importance  of  maintaining  normal 
blood-pressure  the  author  has  fully  discussed  elsewhere ;  * 
however,  attention  should  be  called  to  the  fact  that  high  blood- 
pressure  is  in  a  measure  responsible  for,  as  well  as  being  a 
result  of,  such  disorders  as  Bright's  disease,  heart  failure,  head- 
aches, arteriosclerosis,  and  numerous  other  functional  disorders, 
resulting  from  high  tension  within  the  blood  vessels. 

The  mental  factor  in  blood-pressure  will  be  more  fully  con- 
sidered in  the  next  chapter. 


♦See  "The  Science  of  Living,"  Chap.  XV. 

122 


THE  MIND  AND  CIRCULATORY  SYSTEM        123 

ARTERIOSCLEROSIS  —  HARD   ARTERIES 

Arteriosclerosis,  or  hardening  of  the  arteries,  is  commonly 
believed  to  be  largely  due  to  old  age,  but  we  now  know  that 
high  blood-pressure  greatly  favors  hardening  of  the  arteries. 
As  high  blood-pressure  may  be  produced  by  fear  and  worry, 
these  mental  states  must  be  regarded  as  indirect  factors  in  the 
production  of  hard  arteries  and  consequent  old  age.  The  faith 
state  of  mind  is  able,  therefore,  to  lessen  in  a  measure  the 
hardening  of  the  arteries,  by  its  salutary  influence  upon  the 
blood-pressure;  while  it  is  evident  that  fear  must  tremendously 
aggravate  this  condition  by  its  ability  markedly  to  increase  the 
arterial  tension. 

CAPILLARY    CONTRACTION 

Faith  leads  to  natural,  rhythmic,  and  regular  action  of  the 
capillaries  —  the  small  arteries  of  the  skin  and  of  the  various 
internal  organs.  When  the  mind  is  moving  in  a  natural  and 
normal  channel,  the  small  capillaries  of  the  skin  and  internal 
organs  execute  a  rhythmic,  milking  movement,  which  sends  the 
blood  moving  along  through  its  channels.  This  action  of  the 
capillaries  is  of  great  aid  to  the  heart,  in  fact  it  is  known  in 
medical  science  as  the  "  peripheral  heart." 

While  there  are  numerous  other  influences  besides  mental 
fear  that  are  able  to  produce  harmful  contraction  of  the  capil- 
laries, such  as  cocaine,  tobacco,  tea  and  coffee,  and  the  poisons 
of  indigestion  and  constipation;  nevertheless,  the  mental  factor 
is  coming  to  be  recognized  more  and  more  as  one  of  the  lead- 
ing causes  of  chronic  sluggish  circulation,  pallor  of  the  skin, 
cold  hands,  and  cold  feet. 

Anxiety,  worry,  and  grief,  by  their  influence  through  the 
nervous  system,  cause  the  small  capillaries  spasmodically  to 
contract,  thus  forcing  the  blood  into  the  internal  organs  of  the 
chest,  abdomen,  and  pelvis,  thereby  exposing  the  sufferer  on 
the  one  hand  to  colds  and  catarrh,  because  of  insufficient  skin 
circulation,  in  connection  with  overcongestion  of  the  mucous 
membranes;  while  on  the  other  hand  they  predispose  to  passive 
congestion  and  chronic  inflammations  of  the  various  internal 
organs,  from  bronchitis  down  through  congestion  of  the  liver, 
spleen,  and  bowels,  to  congestion  of  the  special  vital  organs 


124       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

found  in  the  pelvis  of  the  female.  And  this  is  but  a  glimpse  of 
the  mischief  which  is  wrought  by  a  chronic  state  of  worry,  and 
its  resultant  effect  upon  the  circulation. 

It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  all  victims  of  acute  fright  ex- 
hibit pallor ;  it  is  a  common  expression,  "  He  was  pale  with 
fright."  Chronic  worriers  likewise  have  more  or  less  con- 
tinuous disturbance  of  the  skin  circulation  —  pale  face,  cold 
hands,  and  cold  feet. 

In  the  treatment  of  many  nervous  and  circulatory  diseases  by 
means  of  baths  and  electricity,  it  is  not  at  all  uncommon  to 
observe  the  deleterious  effect  of  the  patient's  mental  state  upon 
the  reactive  powers  immediately  following  a  short  cold  bath 
and  other  similar  procedures.  Those  who  fear  cold  baths  do 
not  react  well  when  given  cold  applications.  If  a  patient  has  a 
settled  notion  that  a  particular  form  of  bath  or  a  certain  degree 
of  temperature  will  chill  or  hurt  him,  experience  has  demon- 
strated that  the  treatment  will  almost  invariably  turn  out 
exactly  in  accordance  with  his  fear  and  forebodings. 

CIRCULATORY   SKIN   REACTION 

We  once  had  a  patient  who  positively  refused  to  take  an 
electric  bath  at  a  temperature  below  104  or  105  degrees.  He 
alw^ays  insisted  on  having  the  bath  thermometer  in  his  hand  or 
near  by  so  that  he  could  ascertain  the  temperature  of  the  bath, 
and  thus  prevent  his  attendant  gradually  lowering  the  same. 
He  averred  that  he  would  be  seized  with  violent  shivering  and 
chills  if  he  were  compelled  to  take  his  bath  at  the  prescribed 
temperature  of  95  to  98  degrees,  and  every  time  the  nurse  low- 
ered the  temperature  below  his  fear-established  standard,  he 
actually  had  a  chill  —  a  real  chill.  That  this  fear  of  chilling 
and  aversion  to  baths  below  a  certain  temperature  was  a  matter 
entirely  of  a  mental  nature,  was  conclusively  proven  by  the 
following  simple  experiment :  A  bath  thermometer  was  prepared 
which  registered  almost  eight  degrees  too  low.  The  patient  was 
\  given  his  usual  bath  and  allowed  to  test  its  temperature,  the 
attendant  permitting  him  to  enter  the  water  as  hot  as  he  could 
stand.  As  usual,  the  nurse  began  gradually  to  lower  the  tem- 
perature of  the  bath  by  admitting  cold  water.  The  patient 
watched   the   procedure   without   making   complaint   until   the 


■  THE  MIND  AND  CIRCULATORY  SYSTEM        125 

thermometer  registered  about  103  degrees,  whereupon  he  began 
to  exhibit  signs  of  chilling.  The  temperature  was  held  at  about 
103  and  104  degrees  according  to  the  tampered  thermometer 
(really  at  95  and  96  degrees)  for  twenty  minutes.  He  enjoyed 
the  bath  and  left  it  with  a  victorious  smile  on  his  face,  saying, 
"  You  can't  fool  me,  I  've  told  the  doctor  I  can't  take  his  neutral 
baths  at  95.  I  know  I  can't  stand  'em,  they  chill  me  as  sure  as 
fate.  Now  I  feel  bully;  I  always  do  when  you  let  me  have  the 
bath  the  way  I  want  it." 

And  it  was  exactly  so.  He  wanted  the  bath  at  a  given  tem- 
perature. He  was  possessed  with  a  positive  fear  of  a  lower 
temperature,  and  when  his  fear  was  sufficiently  excited  it  was 
able  to  produce  such  a  powerful  contraction  of  the  small  capil- 
laries in  the  skin  (by  means  of  nervous  impulses  transmitted 
over  the  vasoconstrictor  nerves)  as  actually  to  drive  the  blood 
into  the  internal  organs,  with  the  result  of  literally  bringing  on 
a  bona  fide  chill.  He  could  not  and  would  not  take  his  bath 
except  as  he  wanted  it,  but  you  could  have  your  way  as  long  as 
the  patient  thought  he  was  having  his  way ;  and  he  took  his  bath 
in  comfort  and  without  protest  for  two  weeks  at  the  literal 
\  temperature  of  95  to  96  and  the  psychic  temperature  of  about 
103. 

THE  BLOOD   MOVEMENT 

The  blood  is  the  life ;  and  any  influence  which  is  able  to  regu- 
late blood  movement  is  able,  indirectly,  to  influence  nutrition, 
metabolism,  and  the  entire  life.  Next  to  hydrotherapy  and 
massage,  the  mental  state  of  the  patient  probably  has  more  to 
do  with  controlling  the  circulation  of  the  blood  than  any  other 
single  influence  which  can  be  brought  to  bear  upon  the  human 
body. 

When  the  mind  is  dominated  by  faith,  the  blood  movement 
throughout  the  body  is  usually  strong  and  exhilarated.  Faith 
contributes  in  a  measure  to  preventing  stagnation  of  blood  in 
any  part  of  the  body  (congestion),  and  is  therefore  of  undoubted 
value  in  relieving  the  chronic  passive  congestions,  which  so  fre- 
quently accompany  many  chronic  diseases  and  functional 
derangements.  On  the  other  hand,  fear  and  its  whole  mental 
brood  retard  the  circulation  and  interfere  with  the  blood  move- 


126       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  'AND  FEAR 

ment  by  causing  capillary  contraction,  and  thus  in  every  way 
favor  the  production  of  chronic  passive  congestion  in  the  in- 
ternal organs  of  the  body ;  and  so  worry  and  despondency  must 
be  regarded  as  powerful  factors  in  the  causation  of  chronic 
congestions  in  the  internal  organs,  ranging  from  the  bronchial 
congestions  of  the  lungs  down  to  the  abdominal  congestions, 
which  figure  so  largely  in  the  various  derangements  of  the 
stomach,  liver,  intestines,  bowels,  and  other  special  organs. 

We  have  seen  numerous  cases  of  sordid,  surly,  and  melan- 
cholic people  with  poor  circulation,  pale  skin,  and  habitually 
cold  hands  and  feet,  wonderfully  improve  their  circulation  by 
simply  cheering  up.  A  pleasant  frame  of  mind  is  of  almost 
equal  value  to  cold  baths  and  good  digestion,  as  a  means  of 
improving  and  promoting  the  circulation. 

LOCAL    CONGESTIONS 

As  far  as  the  mental  factor  in  the  circulation  is  concerned, 
local  congestions  are  prevented  by  taking  care  to  keep  the  mind 
off  the  body.  Care-free  inattention  to  the  body  is  one  of  the 
best  ways  to  keep  the  circulation  normal  and  active.  On  the 
other  hand,  fear,  with  a  concentration  of  the  mind  upon  any 
organ  or  part  of  the  body,  will  almost  immediately  produce 
comparative  local  congestion.  While  general  fear  lessens  the 
circulation  of  the  blood  through  the  skin  as  a  whole,  concentra- 
tion of  attention  upon  any  part  or  organ  of  the  body  increases 
the  local  blood  supply  of  that  particular  region. 

Careful  observations  and  experiments  go  to  show  that  by 
continuously  concentrating  the  mind  on  one  arm,  the  surface 
temperature  of  that  member  can  actually  be  raised  considerably 
above  that  of  the  other  arm.  This  rise  in  temperature  signifies 
the  increased  accumulation  of  blood  in  the  part  —  local  conges- 
tion. Delicate  measurements  of  the  arm  have  also  suggested  an 
actual  increase  in  size  of  the  member  upon  which  the  mind  had 
previously  been  vigorously  concentrated. 

Numerous  cases  are  on  record  where  fear  and  fright  have 
apparently  resulted  in  the  production  of  a  fatal  attack  of  dropsy, 
through  the  tremendous  power  exerted  by  the  mental  state  on  the 
blood  movement  and  the  circulation  of  the  body  fluids.  There 
can  be  little  question  that  oedema  and  other  minor  swellings  are 


I 


FIG.  16.     BALANCING  EXPERIMENT.  SUBJECT  fXCCUTING 
PROBLEMS    IN    MENTAL    ARITHMETIC. 


FIG. 17.  BALANCING   EXPERIMENT.   SUBJECT  THINKING 
INTENTLY  AND    CONTINUOUSLY    OF  ThL  F£ET~^ 


'\  -     J  i  •. 


THE  MIND  AND  CIRCULATORY  SYSTEM       127 

sometimes  due  to  a  circulatory  disturbance,  largely  of  mental  or 
nervous  origin. 

CIRCULATORY  EQUILIBRIUM 

The  power  of  the  mind  to  regulate  and  control  the  circulation 
is  beautifully  and  conclusively  shown  by  the  following  experi- 
ment first  made  at  an  Eastern  university,  and  afterwards 
repeated  by  the  author:  A  young  man  aged  twenty-two  was 
placed  on  a  board  six  feet  long  which  was  delicately  balanced 
on  an  adjustable  pivot.  After  obtaining  equilibrium  the  limbs 
were  all  strapped  down  and  the  body  adjusted  to  perfert  balance. 
The  subject  of  the  experiment  was  now  made  to  execute  fairly 
difficult  problems  in  mental  arithmetic  rapidly,  with  the  result 
that  in  a  very  short  time  the  head  began  to  go  down  and  the 
feet  went  up.  The  mental  calculations  caused  the  blood  to 
accumulate  in  the  head,  thus  producing  a  temporary  congestion 
of  that  part  of  the  body  and  effectually  destroying  the  equilib- 
rium of  the  circulation.  (See  Fig.  16.)  Next,  the  conditions  of 
the  experiment  were  reversed.  After  placing  the  body  once 
more  in  equilibrium,  the  subject  was  directed  by  a  series  of 
questions  and  commands  to  keep  the  mind  centred  Hpon  his 
lower  extremities.  He  was  asked  to  think  of  his  toes;  com- 
manded to  imagine  that  he  was  running  a  hotly  contested  foot 
race;  he  was  directed  to  think  of  moving  the  ankle  joints,  then 
the  toe  joints,  and  so  forth.  These  mental  manoeuvres  and 
imaginative  exercises  had  been  carried  on  but  a  little  longer 
time  than  was  occupied  by  the  previous  exercises  in  mental 
arithmetic,  when  the  feet  began  slowly  to  descend  and  the  head 
to  rise.  These  experiments  show  conclusively  that  concentration 
of  the  mind  on  the  feet  will  result  in  the  production  of  com- 
parative congestion  in  the  lower  extremities,  just  as  surely  as 
direct  mental  activity  results  in  congesting  the  brain  and  head. 
(See  Fig.  17.)  The  term  congestion  is  used  in  this  connection 
as  a  popular  term  indicating  increased  local  blood  supply,  rather 
than  in  its  pathological  sense. 

Angioneurotic  oedema  (periodic  swelling)  is  the  name  given 
to  a  severe  and  sometimes  fatal  form  of  swelling  or  oedema, 
which  is  known  to  be  due  largely  to  the  influence  of  the  nerves 
controlling  the  blood  vessels  of  the  part  attacked.     Both  the 


128       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

trophic  (nutritional)  and  the  vaso-motor  nerves  are  involved. 
The  best  authorities  in  skin  diseases  now  generally  recognize 
that,  in  addition  to  toxic  states  of  the  blood,  mental  anxiety  and 
chronic  worry  are  directly  concerned  in  the  causation  of  this 
troublesome  disorder.     To  say  the  least,  this  peculiar  disease 
serves   abundantly  to   demonstrate  the   fact  that   mental   and 
nervous  influences   very  materially   and  powerfully  effect  the 
movement  of  the  circulating  fluids  of  the  body. 
The  author  had  a  patient  several  years  ago  who  possessed  an 
i  unusual   and   unique  control   over   his  blood   movement.     His 
;  circulation  was  quite  unstable,  and  as  a  result  he  was  consider- 
ably    troubled     with     cold     hands     and     feet.      By     strongly 
\      concentrating  the  mind  upon  his  cold  feet,  this  man  was  actually 
able  to  cause  a  rush  of  blood  to  his  frigid  extremities.     Some- 
times it  required  more  mental  effort  and  a  longer  time  to  effect 
these  circulatory  changes  than  at  other  times.     He  was  also 
peculiarly  subject  to  periodical  attacks  of  blushing  and  extreme 
pallor. 

APOPLEXY 

Apoplexy  is  caused  by  rupture  of  a  blood  vessel  in  the  brain. 
Hardened  arteries  and  high  blood-pressure  usually  precede  such 
attacks,  but  fear  and  anger,  by  their  power  greatly  and  quickly 
to  elevate  the  blood-pressure,  tremendously  favor  the  conditions 
which  predispose  one  to  attacks  of  apoplexy  and  subsequent 
paralysis ;  while  an  even  temperament  and  a  quiet  frame  of  mind 
are  of  real  preventive  value  to  all  persons  who  are  threatened 
with,  or  who  have  had,  a  stroke  of  apoplexy.  But  more  about 
apoplexy  in  the  next  chapter. 

We  can  no  longer  dispute  the  fact  that  the  mind  is  able  to 
influence  the  circulation  both  for  weal  and  for  woe.  The 
common  everyday  phenomenon  of  blushing  is  a  practical  dem- 
onstration of  the  psychic  power  over  blood  movement.  If  the 
mind  can  thus  produce  the  temporary  and  superficial  inflamma- 
tion or  hyperaemia  represented  by  blushing,  who  can  deny  that 
prolonged  fear  and  chronic  worry  are  able  to  produce  more 
profound  and  protracted  local  inflammation  or  internal 
congestion. 

French   physicians   have   reported   varicose   veins   cured   or 


NORMAL    PULSE  OF  THE   ''FAITH 
H  E  A  R  T  '* 

FIG.  18. 

PULSE   TRACING    OF  THE'^FEAR 
HEART" 

FIGJa 

THE  MIND  AND  CIRCULATORY  SYSTEM        129 

greatly  improved  by  suggestion ;  and  there  are  some  physicians 
who  believe  that  constant  thinking  of  the  appendix,  coupled 
t  with  the  incessant  fear  of  appendicitis,  has  had  not  a  little  to 
do  with  actually  bringing  about  a  nervous  and  circulatory  condi- 
tion which  greatly  favors  infection  and  disease  in  this 
particularly  predisposed  locality. 

THE   PULSE 

The  pulse  is  regular,  slow,  and  strong  under  the  influence  of 
optimistic  faith ;  while  it  is  weak  and  irregular  when  the  mental 
powers  are  dominated  by  fear,  pessimism,  and  anxiety.  A  care- 
ful examination  of  the  pulse  serves  to  disclose  important  facts 
respecting  the  mental  and  nervous  states  of  the  patient,  as  well 
as  concerning  the  physical  condition  of  the  heart, 

A  medical  student  had  his  eyes  bandaged  while  his  fellov/ 
students  pretended  to  open  a  vein  in  his  arm  for  the  purpose 
of  bleeding  him.  A  small  stream  of  warm  water  was  then 
caused  to  trickle  over  his  arm  and  fall  into  a  bowl.  The  student, 
supposing  this  water  to  be  his  own  life-blood,  grew  deathly  pale 
and  fainted. 

The  effect  of  faith  and  fear  on  the  pulse  is  graphically  shown 
in  Figs.  18  and  19,  where  may  be  seen  tracings  of  the  pulse 
under  the  natural  influence  of  faith  and  trust,  also  under  the 
influence  of  fear  and  anxiety.  The  examination  of  the  pulse  by 
no  means  discloses  all  that  a  physician  should  know  about  his 
patient,  but  it  does  reveal  far  more  concerning  both  the  physical 
and  the  mental  status  of  the  patient  than  the  average  doctor 
probably  recognizes.  The  pulse  is  the  barometer  of  the  heart, 
and  the  heart  is  the  one  organ  of  the  body  most  easily,  quickly, 
and  powerfully  influenced  by  the  psychic  state. 

Comparative  Summary  of  the  Effects  of  Faith  and  Fear 
ON  the  Circulation  of  the  Blood. 


faith 
Blood-pressure:  Normal.  Low- 
ers high  pressure.     (See  cases 
cited  in  next  chapter.) 
Arteriosclerosis:  Lessened 

and  prevented. 


FEAR 

I.  Blood-pressure:  Greatly  raised. 
Pale  face  and  cold  extremities. 


2.  A rteriosclerosis : 
and  aggravated. 


Increased 


130       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 


3.  Capillary  contraction:  Natural, 
rhythmic,   and   regular. 

4.  Skin  reaction:  Increased  re- 
action following  cold  bath, 

5.  Blood  movement :  Accelerated. 
Prevents  and  relieves  con- 
gestion. 

6.  Local  congestion:  Prevented 
by  care-free  inattention. 

7.  Circulatory  equilibrium:  Fa- 
vors. Maintains  an  equalized 
and  balanced  circulation. 

8.  Apoplexy:  Prevented  by  even 
temper. 

9.  Pulse:  Regular,  slow,  and 
strong. 


FEAR 

3.  Capillary  contraction:  Un- 
natural, spasmodic,  and  ir- 
regular. 

4.  Skin  reaction:  Decreased  re- 
action following  cold  bath. 

5.  Blood  movement :  Retarded. 
Favors  and  produces  passive 
congestion. 

6.  Local  congestion:  Produced 
by  fear  thought  and  concen- 
tration. 

7.  Circulatory  equilibrium:  Hind- 
ers. Favors  oedema  and  local 
stagnation. 

8.  Apoplexy:  Favored  by  fear 
and  anger. 

9.  Pulse:  Weak,  irregular,  and 
rapid. 


CHAPTER   XIII 

THE  BLOOD-PRESSURE  AS  MODIFIED  BY  PSYCHIC 
INFLUENCES 

Determination  of  blood-pressure. —  Significance  of  high 
pressure. —  a  fear-ridden  ex-convict. —  sudden  emotional 
CHANGES. —  Nervous  prostration  and  low  blood-pressure. — 

A  CASE  OF  MISSIONARY  WORRY. —  BlOOD-PRESSURE  AND  THE 
AFFECTIONS. —  DrINK  AND  DRUGS. —  BlOOD-PRESSURE  AND  RE- 
LIGION.—  Significance  and  scope  of  psychic  regulation. — 
The  nervous  mechanism  involved  in  the  regulation  of 
blood-pressure. —  Apoplexy  and  heart  failure. —  Com- 
parative summary  of  the  effects  of  faith  and  fear  on 
the  regulation  of  the  blood-pressure. 

FOR  several  years  the  author  has  endeavored  to  collect  re- 
liable data  bearing  on  the  mental  factors  concerned  in  the 
regulation  of  blood-pressure.  While  it  is  almost  impossible,  in 
making  observations  of  this  kind,  always  accurately  to  isolate 
the  mental  factors  involved,  we  believe  that  the  cases  herein 
cited  are  sufficiently  reliable  to  show  the  large  part  played  by 
the  mind  in  the  work  of  altering  and  regulating  the  blood- 
pressure. 

determination  of  blood-pressure 
In  this  connection  it  may  be  well  to  offer  a  word  of  explanation 
as  to  the  method  of  taking  blood-pressure,  and  as  to  the  stand- 
ards of  normal  blood-pressure.  There  have  been  devised  a 
number  of  instruments,  one  of  which  is  shown  in  Fig.  20.  having 
attachments  which  can  be  strapped  around  the  arm,  so  that  by 
means  of  pumping  air  into  a  little  rubber  bag  underneath, 
pressure  can  be  applied  to  the  blood  vessels  of  the  arm.  By 
means  of  a  rubber  tube,  this  air-pressure  is  communicated  to 
a  chamber  containing  mercury  and  surmounted  by  a  glass  tube 

131 


132       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

marked  with  a  millimetre  scale,  arranged  somewhat  after  the 
plan  of  a  barometer.  The  pressure  is  now  gradually  removed 
until  the  pulse  at  the  wrist  can  just  be  felt,  and  then  on  the 
graduated  glass  is  read  off  just  how  many  millimetres  of  mer- 
cury are  equivalent  to  the  patient's  blood-pressure. 

An  ordinary  healthy  adult  under  forty-five  years  of  age  has 
a  blood-pressure  varying  from  no  to  130  millimetres  of  mer- 
cury (about  5  inches  in  English  measurement).  A  series  of 
five  thousand  apparently  healthy  adults,  tested  during  the  last 
seven  years,  showed  a  general  average  of  123  millimetres.  The 
ages  of  this  group  ran  from  20  to  45  years. 

SIGNIFICANCE  OF  HIGH  PRESSURE 

The  one  thing  characteristic  of  the  present-day  social  and 
commercial  world  is  its  high  tension.  Everybody  is  keyed  up 
to  the  last  notch.  People  are  living  at  a  fierce  pace,  and  the 
pressure-gauge  of  life  registers  all  the  while  dangerously  near 
the  bursting  point. 

High  blood-pressure,  as  noted  in  the  chapter  on  the  circula- 
tion, is  directly  and  indirectly  responsible  for  numerous  bodily 
ailments  and  certain  grave  physical  catastrophes.  High  arterial 
tension  is  intimately  connected  with  such  serious  disorders  as 
chronic  headaches,  arteriosclerosis  or  hardening  of  the  arteries, 
apoplexy  and  its  subsequent  paralysis,  heart  failure,  Bright's 
disease,  insomnia,  neurasthenia,  chronic  congestions,  and  even 
certain  forms  of  insanity. 

There  are  numerous  substances  which,  when  taken  into  the 
body,  together  with  certain  mental  states,  have  power  to  influ- 
ence the  blood-pressure,  some  lowering  it,  while  others  cause  it 
to  rise.  Now  when  the  blood-pressure  is  raised,  it  will  be  seen 
at  once  that  more  blood  will  circulate  through  the  brain  as  well 
as  through  other  parts  of  the  body;  and  therefore,  when  the 
blood-pressure  is  moderately  high,  since  the  blood  is  that  which 
nourishes  the  body  and  gives  it  life,  it  will  not  be  hard  to  imagine 
that  the  patient  will  feel  exhilarated  and  buoyant,  able  to  enter 
the  arena  of  society  and  business  more  confident  of  success, 
with  hopes  and  courage  all  at  top-notch.  On  the  other  hand  ex- 
cessively and  abnormally  low  blood-pressure  produces  such  a 
sense  of  weakness,  debility,  and  mental  lethargy  as  to  constitute 


LIVER 


DIAGRAM  OF  THE  CIRCULATION 


n  G.  20-     The  Heart  and  Circulation  af  the   Bloody 


THE  BLOOD-PRESSURE  133 

a  powerful  temptation  to  resort  to  some  convenient  and  artificial 
method  of  toning  up  the  system  —  raising  the  blood-pressure. 

In  this  chapter  we  are  concerned  chiefly  with  the  important 
fact  that  fear  and  worry  and  all  their  psychic  cousins  are  able 
actually  to  raise  the  blood-pressure  to  that  point  where  real 
damage  results  to  the  health,  and  to  such  an  extent  as  to 
create  and  confirm  the  demand  for  the  use  of  certain  drugs, 
highly  injurious  to  the  physical,  mental,  and  moral  welfare  of 
the  individual  and  the  race.  We  refer  to  morphine,  alcohol, 
the  bromides,  and  a  host  of  headache  powders,  quieting  reme- 
dies, and  pain  relievers.  While  it  is  foreign  to  the  purposes  of 
this  chapter  to  consider  the  right  and  proper  methods  of 
controlling  high  blood-pressure,  other  than  the  influence  of  the 
mental  states,  these  questions  have  been  fully  treated  in  another 
work. 

A   FEAR-RIDDEN    EX-CONVICT 

There  came  to  the  clinic,  one  rainy  morning,  an  ex-convict 
who  wore  a  worried  expression,  complained  of  inability  to 
sleep,  and  loss  of  appetite,  and  examination  revealed  a  blood- 
pressure  of  190  millimetres.  Subsequent  inquiry  disclosed  the 
fact  that  this  man  was  living  in  constant  dread  of  being 
arrested  and  returned  to  the  penitentiary  on  the  ground  of 
"  once  a  criminal  always  a  criminal." 

Physical  examination,  including  the  kidneys,  blood  vessels,  and 
arteries,  in  no  way  accounted  for  his  high  blood-pressure.  This 
condition  of  things  continued  for  over  two  weeks,  then  on 
being  assured  that  he  would  have  thirty  days  immunity  from 
arrest  if  he  would  faithfully  perform  the  duties  assigned  him, 
he  admitted  that  his  chief  trouble  was  incessant  worry  and  per- 
petual anxiety.  Within  a  very  few  minutes  his  blood-pressure 
acttially  began  to  drop,  and  within  three  hours  it  had  fallen 
20  mm.,  and  by  the  following  day  had  reached  155  mm.,  a  total 
fall  of  35  mm.  This  seems  to  be  a  reasonably  clear  case  of  high 
blood-pressure  from  fear  and  worry.  It  was  largely  relieved 
by  setting  the  mind  at  rest.  The  arterial  tension  was  lowered 
by  the  relief  of  the  mental  tension.  Three  months  after  these 
observations,  several  tests  showed  this  man's  blood-pressure  to 
register  uniformly  in  the  neighborhood  of  150. 


134       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  'AND  FEAR 

SUDDEN  EMOTIONAL  CHANGES 

A  few  years  ago  the  author  had  an  opportunity  to  observe  a 
series  of  rapid  and  unusual  fluctuations  in  blood-pressure  on  the 
part  of  a  nervous  and  semi-hysterical  young  woman.  Pressures 
taken  just  before  and  just  after  the  receipt  of  a  bit  of  bad  news, 
exhibited  a  difference  of  over  50  mm.  We  were  able  to  detect 
a  difference  of  20  to  30  mm.  during  a  single  observation,  as  a 
result  of  purely  emotional  disturbances.  Such  a  high  degree  of 
vaso-motor  instability  as  a  result  of  mental  influence  is  not  at 
all  common. 

Sudden  excitement,  burning  indignation,  intense  anger,  and 
keen  disappointment  all  serve  instantly  to  alter  the  blood- 
pressure.  It  is  not  uncommon  to  observe  an  alteration  of  pres- 
sure varying  from  10  to  25  per  cent,  and  so  it  appears  that  the 
highly  emotional  person  is  constantly  altering  his  blood-pressure, 
and,  as  a  consequence,  necessitating  more  or  less  of  a  complete 
rearrangement  of  the  circulatory  apparatus,  and  a  readjustment 
of  the  whole  process  of  nutrition  and  metabolism. 

NERVOUS  PROSTRATION  AND  LOW  BLOOD-PRESSURE 

Not  only  will  ceasing  to  worry  serve  to  reduce  blood-pressure 
in  cases  where  the  high  tension  is  wholly  or  partially  due  to 
psychic  causes,  but  a  change  in  the  mental  state  is  also  some- 
times able  to  raise  the  blood-pressure  in  certain  cases  of 
neurasthenia  or  so-called  nervous  prostration.  Nervous  prostra- 
tion is  one  of  nature's  ways  of  preventing  certain  high-strung 
people  from  actually  "  blowing  up."  Nature  removes  the  pendu- 
lum and  allows  them  to  run  down,  thus  preventing  the  snapping 
of  the  constitutional  mainspring.  Neurasthenics  complain  of 
being  "all  run  down,"  and  that  simply  means  that  they  were 
previously  "  all  wound  up." 

We  recently  had  a  chronic  neurasthenic  with  blood-pressure 
running  from  85  to  90  mm.  He  finally  got  it  into  his  head  that 
he  was  going  to  get  well.  He  went  to  work  in  earnest  at  his 
simple  treatments  and  began  to  take  an  interest  in  the  world; 
he  actually  forgot  about  his  vague  sensations  and  wandering 
pains,  began  to  eat  heartily  and  sleep  well,  and  soon  he  was 
rapidly  gaining  in  weight.  In  the  meantime  his  blood-pressure 
had  slowly  and  gradually  climbed  up  to  120  mm.  —  practically 


THE  BLOOD-PRESSURE  135 

normal,  while  his  distressing  morning  headaches  almost  en- 
tirely disappeared. 

Occasionally  we  meet  with  cases  of  abnormally  low  blood- 
pressure  which  are  difficult  to  diagnose.  There  seems  to  be  a 
constitutional  tendency  toward  low  tension,  just  as  in  other 
cases  we  observe  a  family  tendency  to  high  pressure. 

A    CASE    OF    MISSIONARY    WORRY 

A  worried  city  missionary,  troubled  with  sleeplessness,  rap- 
idly losing  her  appetite,  also  losing  in  weight,  had  been  treated 
several  weeks  for  stomach  and  nervous  troubles,  with  electricity, 
and  with  baths.  Blood-pressure  remained  about  165.  Careful 
inquiry  elicited  the  fact  she  had  no  family  trouble,  no  church 
trouble,  in  fact  she  seemed  to  be  free  from  everything  that 
would  lead  up  to  the  mental  states  of  fear  and  worry.  Further 
inquiry,  however,  disclosed  the  fact  that  she  worried  consider- 
ably over  the  subjects  of  her  missionary  endeavor.  At  first  she 
resented  our  efforts  to  admonish  her  on  this  point ;  but  one  day 
she  was  told  the  story  of  the  simple-minded  boy,  who  insisted  on 
carrying  two  bushels  of  chop- feed  on  his  shoulders  while  riding 
horseback,  and  on  being  asked  why  he  did  so,  replied :  "  Well, 
I  reckon,  if  the  horse  can  carry  me  I  ought  to  be  willing  to 
carry  the  feed."  She  went  home  and  began  to  think  matters 
over,  finally  arriving  at  this  conclusion :  "  If  Christ's  death  on 
the  cross  can't  save  sinners,  no  amount  of  anxiety  or  worry  on 
my  part  can  effect  their  salvation." 

She  appeared  at  the  office  the  following  day,  asserting  that 
she  had  got  a  new  brand  of  religion  —  a  faith  that  could  free 
her  from  useless  worry  and  unnecessary  anxiety.  She  affirmed 
that  she  had  learned  the  meaning  of  such  Scriptures  as,  "  Cast- 
ing all  your  care  upon  Him,  for  He  careth  for  you,"  and, 
"  Come  unto  Me  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I 
will  give  you  rest " ;  and  strange  to  report,  the  taking  of  her 
blood-pressure  showed  that  it  had  fallen  to  140,  and  it  subse- 
quently went  down  to  about  135. 

Worry  and  anxiety  always  raise  the  blood-pressure  until  they 
result  in  bringing  on  nervous  prostration,  and  then  the  unfor- 
tunate victim  is  found  to  be  suffering  from  a  depressive 
reaction  —  neurotic  low  blood-pressure.    Disappointment,  grief, 


136       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

and  cankering  care,  all  conspire  together,  gradually  and  surely 
to  raise  the  blood-pressure.  Likewise,  anger,  moral  condemna- 
tion, and  every  cause  of  restlessness  and  mental  dissatisfaction, 
all  serve  to  increase  arterial  tension  and  raise  the  pressure. 

The  fact  that  one  worries  over  a  good  cause  —  the  fact  that 
the  objects  of  your  anxious  solicitude  are  wholly  unselfish  and 
altruistic  —  in  no  wise  mitigates  the  inevitable  consequences  of 
the  increased  blood-pressure  and  other  indescribable  nervous 
complications  which  so  surely  follow  in  the  wake  of  all  pro- 
tracted worry  and  long-sustained  anxiety. 

BLOOD-PRESSURE  AND  THE  AFFECTIONS 

A  young  man  under  observation  exhibited  a  blood-pressure 
of  170.  The  usual  procedures  employed  in  high  pressure  did 
not  give  satisfactory  results.  Careful  inquiry  revealed  that  he 
had  recently  been  disappointed  in  love,  and  while  all  medicinal 
means  failed  permanently  to  lower  his  blood-pressure,  a  rec- 
onciliation with  the  young  lady  at  once  dropped  the  pressure 
to  135,  in  which  neighborhood  it  remained  permanently.  It 
probably  would  have  gone  even  lower  but  that  he  was  quite  a 
heavy  user  of  tobacco,  and  this,  as  is  well  known,  tends  to  keep 
the  blood-pressure  up. 

The  author  does  not  entertain  the  slightest  doubt  that  a 
young  woman  under  similar  circumstances  would  have  had  her 
blood-pressure  aflfected  in  like  manner,  both  as  to  its  rise  in  the 
face  of  disappointment,  and  its  fall  immediately  after  the 
reconciliation  with  the  adored  one. 

/-^.  DRINK  AND  DRUGS 

Domestic  infelicity  and  family  jars  all  conspire  to  raise  the 
blood-pressure,  increase  the  nervous  tension  —  and,  indirectly, 
make  for  digestive  disturbances  and  nervous  breakdown.  We 
commonly  hear  such  statements  as  "  Family  trouble  drove  him 
to  drink."  In  all  such  cases,  in  our  opinion,  the  alcohol  is  taken 
largely  for  its  immediate  effect  in  lowering  the  blood-pressure 
and  thus  temporarily  relieving  the  intense  and  wrought-up  nerv- 
ous state.  While  the  continuous  use  of  alcohol  operates  to  raise 
the  blood-pressure  by  its  tendency  to  harden  the  arteries,  the 
effect  for  the  time  being  is  to  lower  the  pressure  and  thus  relieve 
the  oppressive  tension. 


THE  BLOOD-PRESSURE  137 

Experience  has  taught  us  that  high  blood-pressure  often  leads 
its  victims  to  drink  and  drugs.     The  very  day  of  this  writing 
there  came  to  the  office  a  lawyer  begging  for  morphine.     This 
man  is  a  periodical  drinker;  and  when  we  remonstrated  with 
him  he  replied :  "  Well,  doctor,  if  you  don't  give  me  morphine  or 
something  else  to  relieve  this  spell,  it'll  drive  me  to  the  saloon 
for  whiskey."     In  this  connection  it  should  be  explained  that 
morphine  does  lower  the  blood-pressure  —  a  discovery  that  this 
lawyer  is  not  alone  in  having  made.     Indirectly,  then,  freedom      >: 
from  w^orry  and  anxiety  proves  to  be  a  practical  aid  to  tem-      / 
perance,  in  that  faith  —  a  peaceful  frame  of  mind  —  operates  to      , 
prevent    high    tension,    with    its    accompanying   tendency    and 
temptation  to  resort  to  pressure-lowering  drugs  such  as  alcohol 
and  morphine.  '^ 

BLOOD-PRESSURE    AND    RELIGION  » /^ 

Religion,  as  a  state  of  mind,  seems  to  exert  a  salutary  influ- 
ence upon  the  blood-pressure.  In  all  cases  of  nervous  high 
tension  where  the  sufferer  seems  to  have  heartily  and  sincerely 
embraced  some  form  of  religious  belief  or  moral  faith,  the 
blood-pressure  almost  invariably  begins  to  come  down.  On  the 
other  hand,  in  case  the  acceptance  of  some  sort  of  religion  leads 
to  overscrupulous  anxiety  and  overconscientious  worry,  the 
blood-pressure  will  certainly  go  up.  It  makes  no  apparent  dif- 
ference what  particular  brand  of  religion  is  embraced,  as  far  as 
the  blood-pressure  mechanism  is  concerned,  only  one  condition 
seems  to  be  requisite,  and  that  is  that  the  religion  must  be 
accepted  so  fully  and  sincerely  as  absolutely  to  deliver  the  mind 
from  the  torments  of  doubt  and  the  uncertainties  of  fear; 
actually  to  set  the  mind  at  rest  and  fill  the  thoughts  with  faith 
and  trust. 

Numerous  cases  in  which  religion  apparently  reduced  the 
blood-pressure  could  be  cited.  A  nervous  man  whom  we  had 
under  treatment  had  a  blood-pressure  of  170.  He  became  a 
devout  Christian  Scientist  and  the  blood-pressure  soon  went 
down  into  the  neighborhood  of  145,  and  remained  there  perma- 
nently. 

Another  case,  that  of  a  somewhat  disagreeable  married 
woman,  was  greatly  improved  physically,  still  her  blood-pressure 


138       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

was  about  1 60.  She  claimed  to  have  been  converted  in  a  gospel 
mission,  and  after  that  her  blood-pressure  was  found  to  be  in 
the  neighborhood  of  140. 

An  unfaithful  husband  who  had  a  blood-pressure  running 
from  170  to  180,  after  a  professed  conversion  and  after  a  rec- 
onciliation with  his  family,  showed  blood-pressure  of  140  to 
150. 

The  author  would  not  for  one  moment  suggest  that  he  had 
discovered  a  method  whereby  it  would  be  possible  to  determine 
by  material  tests  as  to  whether  or  not  a  person  was  sincere  in 
his  profession  of  religion ;  but  it  is  at  least  interesting  to  record, 
in  this  connection,  the  case  of  a  certain  politician  suffering  from 
a  marked  case  of  worry  (high-tension)  who  confessedly  joined 
a  church  for  the  purpose  of  furthering  his  political  interests, 
but  whose  blood-pressure  remained  unmoved  by  his  outward 
religious  manoeuvres. 

SIGNIFICANCE  AND  SCOPE  OF  PSYCHIC  REGULATION 

A  business  man,  in  financial  stress  for  three  weeks,  exhibited 
a  blood-pressure  of  180.  After  borrowing  ten  thousand  dollars, 
and  relieving  this  situation,  his  blood-pressure  ran  for  seven 
weeks  from  145  to  160. 

A  broken-hearted  mother,  grieving  over  a  wayward  daughter, 
exhibited  blood-pressure  of  175;  after  her  daughter's  return, 
during  three  weeks'  observation,  her  blood-pressure  ran  in  the 
neighborhood  of  155. 

As  noted  before,  certain  minor  factors,  other  than  the  psychic 
state,  may  have  entered  into  some  of  these  observations,  but 
as  far  as  careful  inquiry  and  physical  examination  were  able  to 
go,  these  particular  cases  belong  to  that  class  in  which  the  chief 
agency  of  relief  was  mental.  We  have  had  under  observation 
cases  that  showed  even  greater  reduction  of  blood-pressure  than 
those  cited.  These  cases  are  presented  as  average  illustrations 
of  the  amount  of  reduction  in  blood-pressure  which  can  be 
brought  about  almost  immediately  by  a  thorough-going  change 
in  the  mental  state. 

It  is  self-evident,  if  a  change  in  the  mental  state  can  thus 
quickly  and  positively  influence  the  blood-pressure,  that  the 
mind  i§  able  variably  to  influence  almost  a  score  of  physical 


THE  BLOOD-PRESSURE 


139 


maladies  that  owe  their  existence  and  disagreeable  symptoms 
more  or  less  to  high  blood-pressure.  It  has  been  the  author's 
observation  that  sincerity  and  religious  devotion,  unless  they 
lead  to  hyperconscientiousness  or  an  overscrupulous  anxiety, 
always  result  in  a  reduction  of  high  blood-pressure  —  at  least 
in  all  cases  where  the  high  tension  was  largely  psychic  in 
origin  —  due  to  mental  unrest  and  nervous  excitability. 

It  has  further  been  our  observation  that  it  is  wholly  imma- 
terial what  kind  of  religion  the  devotee  embraces.  As  far  as 
blood-pressure  is  concerned,  the  essential  requirement  is  that 
the  religion  shall  be  whole-hearted,  so  as  effectively  to  set  the 
mind  at  rest.  The  nervous  mechanism  regulating  blood-pressure 
is  not  a  theological  critic.  Any  belief  or  religion  that  is  ac- 
cepted without  mental  reservation  suffices  to  set  the  mind  at 
rest,  and  the  blood-pressure  immediately  begins  to  be  lowered. 

The  reader's  attention  is  again  called  to  the  fact  that  the 
author  is  here  considering  the  purely  psychologic  side  of 
religion.  We  again  disclaim  any  intention  of  discussing  the 
spiritual  and  miraculous  elements  concerned  in  theological  be- 
lief. While  he  recognizes  the  fact  that  any  and  all  religions, 
when  sincerely  accepted  and  devoutly  believed,  are  able  pro- 
foundly to  influence  both  mind  and  body;  and  while,  as  far  as 
the  body  is  concerned,  it  apparently  makes  no  difference  what 
brand  of  religion  is  accepted  —  certain  physiological  effects 
being  the  same,  modified  only  by  the  intensity  of  the  patient's 
faith  —  nevertheless,  the  author  would  by  no  means  lead  the 
reader  to  think  that  he  regards  the  Christian  religion  as  just  one 
among  equally  good  religions  of  the  past  and  the  present.  In 
his  personal  belief  he  recognizes  the  sublime  power  of  the  true 
Christian  religion  not  only  to  accomplish  all  the  desirable  phys- 
iological and  psychological  effects  herein  noted,  but,  in  addition, 
to  bring  about  a  host  of  other  and  marvellous  spiritual  manifes- 
tations and  mighty  moral  transformations;  and  so,  while  he 
continues  to  note  the  fact  that  all  forms  of  religious  belief 
exert  a  salutary  effect  upon  certain  bodily  functions,  the  reader 
is  cautioned  not  to  form  the  conclusion  that  the  author  would 
in  the  least  detract  from  the  belief  in  Christianity  as  the  su- 
preme and  genuine  religion  —  as  a  supernatural  influence  de- 


140       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  'AND  FEAR 

signed  to  uplift  humanity  in  a  sense  entirely  different  from  and 
additional  to,  all  the  various  psychic  and  physical  benefits  herein 
noted,  and  which  apparently  result  from  the  nominal  accept- 
ance of  any  form  of  religious  belief. 

While  he  desires  to  make  it  plain  to  the  reader  that  any  sort 
of  religious  belief  favorably  influences  the  psychic  state  and  the 
physical  functions,  he  desires  to  make  it  equally  emphatic  and 
plain  that  the  author,  in  his  own  belief,  recognizes  in  the  teach- 
ings of  Jesus  Christ  something  entirely  above,  and  different 
from,  the  other  great  religions  of  the  world.  The  author  sin- 
cerely believes  that  there  is  a  distinct  and  definite  supernatural 
element  in  the  Christian  religion;  but  since  such  supernatural 
element  does  not  lend  itself  to  scientific  investigation  and  lab- 
oratory inquiry,  and  since  this  work  is  devoted  to  the  study  of 
the  psychology  and  physiology  of  faith  and  fear,  it  is  entirely 
out  of  place  further  to  discuss  the  matter  in  this  connection. 
This  paragraph  has  been  added  merely  to  prevent  any  Christian 
reader  from  gaining  the  impression  that  the  author  does  not 
recognize  Christianity  as  the  supreme  religious  belief  —  as  a 
spiritual  energy  and  a  supernatural  force.  Paul's  statement  is 
still  true,  that  "  The  world  by  wisdom  knew  not  God." 

THE     NERVOUS    MECHANISM     INVOLVED    IN     THE    REGULATION    OF 
BLOOD-PRESSURE 

The  physiologist  offers  the  following  explanation  of  the  mech- 
anism for  manipulating  blood  volume  and  controlling  blood- 
pressure  : 

"  Another  striking  illustration  of  nervous  regulation  of  the  heart 
is  that  of  the  depressor  nerve.  Ever  since  Ludwig  first  discovered  the 
function  of  this  small  nerve,  physiologists  have  been  greatly  inter- 
ested in  its  unique  properties,  one  being,  as  demonstrated  by  its 
first  discoverers,  that  it  can  quickly  lower  the  pressure  of  the  blood 
in  the  arteries  all  over  the  body  from  30  to  50  per  cent.  To  under- 
stand this  it  should  be  stated  that  in  the  medulla  oblongata  there  is 
a  centre  governing  the  entire  and  most  extensive  system  of  special 
nerves  which  ramify  on  the  coasts  of  the  arteries,  and  whose  busi- 
ness it  is  to  regulate  the  calibre  of  the  arteries  so  that  their  diameter 
becomes  large  or  small  according  to  whether  the  part  which  the 
arteries  supply  needs  more  or  less  blood.  Thus,  the  stomach  needs 
nine  times   more  blood   when   actively  digesting  its   contents  than 


THE  BLOOD-PRESSURE  141 


when  it  is  empty;  and  the  vaso-motor  nerves,  as  they  are  called, 
of  its  arteries  dilate  the  blood  vessels  so  as  to  bring  more  blood,  or 
contract  them  to  shut  it  off,  as  the  need  may  be.  The  function  of 
these  nerves,  therefore,  is  of  prime  importance,  for  without  their 
constricting  action  the  vessels  of  the  abdominal  organs  alone  might 
relax  enough  to  contain  most  of  the  blood  of  the  body,  as  sometimes 
happens  with  quickly  fatal  results. 

"  But,  on  the  other  hand,  during  violent  muscular  exercise  or  under 
excitement,  the  blood  may  be  driven  to  the  heart  so  fast  that  its 
cavities  become  dangerously  distended.  Then  it  is  that  the  depres- 
sor nerve  instantly  comes  to  the  rescue.  Ignoring  its  automatic 
nature,  we  may  figuratively  represent  it  addressing  the  medulla  thus : 
'  Make  haste !  Emergency !  Heart  overfilling  and  distending  so 
with  blood  that  a  valve  may  give  way  !  Tell  your  vasoconstrictor 
centre  instantly  to  order  all  its  nerves  to  relax  their  grip  on  the 
arteries  all  over  the  body,  to  the  degree  which  I  direct.  Order  the 
accelerator  centre  to  suspend  operations;  and  the  vagus  centre  to 
give  an  extra  turn  to  its  brakes  ! '  The  medulla  obeys,  and  the 
overfull  heart  immediately  relieves  itself  by  a  general  widening  of 
all  the  arterial  channels.  Thus  we  find  this  single  regulatory  nerve 
capable  of  inhibiting  the  action  of  the  whole  vast  mechanism  of 
the  arterial  constrictors.  Unlike  other  nerves,  it  can  not  be  fatigued 
or  exhausted  by  prolonged  stimulation,  so  that  in  every  respect  it  is 
like  a  sleepless,  tireless  sentinel  posted  at  the  great  gate  of  the 
heart's  outflow." 

It  is  also  highly  probable  that  the  circulatory  centres  of  the 
medulla  are  in  turn  more  or  less  influenced  by  direct  impulses 
from  certain  cortical  centres  in  the  cerebrum. 

APOPLEXY   AND    HEART    FAILURE 

The  practical  conclusion  of  the  blood-pressure  matter  is 
simply  this:  If  the  arterial  tension  is  permitted  to  go  on  increas- 
ing from  month  to  month  and  from  year  to  year,  eventually,  the 
danger  point  will  be  reached  (about  200  mm.),  and  then  it  is 
only  a  question  of  time  when  one  of  two  things  will  happen  — 
either  the  heart-pump  will  give  out  —  the  valves  give  way  or  the 
muscle  dilate;  or  the  arterial  hose  will  burst  at  some  weak 
point,  usually  in  the  brain,  with  the  result  of  producing  apoplexy 
and  its  accompanying  paralysis.  Apoplexy,  paralysis,  and  heart 
failure  are  tremendously  on  the  increase,  and  the  strenuous 
living  —  the  life  of  anxiety,  overwork,  and  worry  —  is  now  gen- 


142       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 


erally  recognized  by  the  medical  profession  as  being  in  a  large 
measure  responsible  for  the  enormous  fatality  of  these  heart 
and  circulatory  disorders. 

Comparative  Summary  of  the  Effects  of  Faith  and  Fear 

ON  THE  Regulation  of  the  Blood-pressure. 

(Average  normal  blood-pressure  in  adults,  123  mm.) 

faith 


fear 

1.  Ex-convict:  Blood-pressure 
190  when  hunted  by  police. 

2.  Emotional  state:  Blood-pres- 
sure may  rise  30  to  50  mm. 

3.  Nervous  prostration:  Pres- 
sure too  low,  85  to  90. 

4.  Missionary  worry:  Christian 
worker  had  pressure  of  165. 

5.  Disappointment:  Jilted  lover 
had  a  pressure  of  170. 

6.  Drink  and  drugs:  Raising 
pressure  creates  a  demand 
for   alcohol   and   morphine. 

7.  Religion:  Case  with  pressure 
of  170  before  becoming  re- 
ligious. 

8.  Business  troubles:  Man  in 
financial  distress  had  pres- 
sure of  180. 

9.  Nervous  mechanism:  Fear 
excites  the  heart  and  con- 
tracts the  small  capillaries  of 
the  skin. 

10.  Apoplexy  and  heart  failure: 
Greatly  increased  in  fre- 
quency and  severity  by  fear. 


1.  Ex-convict:  Blood-pressure 
155  after  promise  of  30  days' 
immunity. 

2.  Emotional  state:  Blood-pres- 
sure known  to  fall  50  mm.  by 
emotional  changes. 

3.  Nervous  prostration:  Pres- 
sure favorably  raised,  120. 

4.  Missionary  worry:  Change 
of  mental  state  reduced  pres- 
sure to  135. 

5.  Disappointment:  Reconcilia- 
tion with  his  sweetheart 
lowered  pressure  to  135. 

6.  Drink  and  drugs:  Lowering 
pressure  materially  assists  in 
preventing  and  curing  drug 
habits. 

7.  Religion:  After  becoming 
Christian  Scientist  pressure 
fell  to  145. 

8.  Business  troubles:  After 
meeting  his  business  obliga- 
tions pressure  fell  to  about 
150. 

9.  Nervous  mechanism:  Faith 
steadies  and  strengthens  the 
heart,  and  promotes  capillary 
circulation. 

10.  Apoplexy  and  heart  failure: 
Lessened  in  frequency  and 
severity   by    faith   and   calm- 


CHAPTER   XIV 

INFLUENCE   OF    THE    MENTAL    STATE    UPON    THE 
VITAL  RESISTANCE 

The  red  blood  cells. —  The  white  blood  cells. —  Relative 
ANEMIAS. —  Psychic  blood  poisons. —  The  lymph  stream. — 
Anti-bodies  and  antitoxins. —  Influence  of  the  mental 
state  upon  the  vital  resistance. —  Fear  and  infection. — 
The  soil  of  disease. —  The  healing  power. —  Vital  energy. 
—  Sickness  in  general. —  The  death  rate. —  Comparative 
summary  of  the  effects  of  faith  and  fear  upon  the  vital 
resistance. 

WHILE  it  has  long  been  recognized  that  the  mental  state 
is  more  or  less  able  to  affect  the  circulation  of  the  blood, 
it  has  not  until  recently  been  known  that  the  state  of  the  mind 
is  directly  concerned  in  maintaining  the  quality  of  the  blood, 
or  that  abnormal  mental  states  can,  in  a  certain  measure, 
actually  deteriorate  the  blood.  This  fact  becomes  more  and 
more  important  as  we  continue  to  discover  that  the  power  of 
the  organism  to  resist  disease  is  very  largely  dependent  on  the 
quality  of  the  circulating  fluids  of  the  body. 

THE  RED  blood  CELLS 

The  mental  state  of  courageous  optimism  is  now  known  to 
favor  an  increase  in  the  red  blood  cells,  because  of  its  valuable 
influence  on  the  general  health  and  the  special  blood-making 
organs.  By  contributing  to  the  general  health,  faith  actually 
protects  the  red  blood  cells  from  disease  and  destruction.  In 
connection  with  the  sluggish  circulation  coexistent  with  mental 
depression,  there  is  usually  to  be  found  a  chronic  portal  stagna- 
tion. It  is  now  generally  believed  that  this  portal  congestion 
brings  about  the  destruction  of  large  numbers  of  red  blood 
cells  by  their  cousins,  the  white  blood  cells;   for  it  is  highly 

143 


144       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

probable  that  the  white  blood  cells,  when  irritated  and  intoxi- 
cated by  the  stagnant  circulatory  fluids  of  the  portal  (liver) 
circulation,  turn  traitors  to  the  body  commonwealth,  and  literally 
devour  the  red  blood  cells. 

Ruddy  cheeks  and  vigorous  blood  movement  are  the  hand- 
maidens of  faith  and  courage.  Viewed  from  every  possible 
standpoint  optimism  favors  the  production  and  maintenance  of 
a  healthy  blood  stream,  while  pessimism  works  steadily  and  con- 
tinuously for  the  deterioration  of  the  blood-making  and  the 
blood-moving  processes. 

THE  WHITE  BLOOD  CELLS 

There  can  now  be  little  question  of  the  fact  that  a  vigorous, 
happy  mental  state,  by  its  influence  on  both  the  nervous  and 
circulatory  systems,  tends  to  increase  the  defensive  activity  of 
the  white  blood  cells.  By  favoring  the  healthy  circulation  of 
the  blood,  the  white  cells  are  protected  from  many  influences 
which  otherwise  would  depress  and  decrease  their  germ- 
destroying  and  life-saving  activities.  It  is  well  known  that  any 
influence  which  causes  a  vigorous  movement  of  the  blood 
stream,  enhances  their  action  in  the  work  of  destroying  the 
microbes  of  disease.  Fear  depresses  the  circulation  and  favors 
the  accumulation  of  metabolic  acid  poisons  in  the  body,  which 
conditions  not  only  decrease  the  activities  of  the  white  blood 
cells  in  their  work  of  destroying  germs,  but  actually  tend  to 
increase  their  pernicious  activities  in  the  direct  destruction  of 
the  body  cells.* 

It  is  a  singular  and  interesting  fact  that  the  macrophages, 
that  is,  the  large  white  cells  with  a  large  nucleus,  seem  to 
evince  a  preference  for  an  animal  diet.  They  are  the  cells 
which  eat  up  the  dead  tissue  and  debris  that  is  scattered  about 
a  wound.  And  when  under  the  influence  of  certain  irritant 
poisons,  absorbed  from  the  intestine,  they  behave  very  strange- 
ly, especially  if  the  body  cells  are  weak,  and  there  is  evidence 
of  senile  decay.  They  have  been  observed  to  prey  upon  the 
body  itself.   /Under  the   spell   of  these  poisons,  these   former 

*See  "  The  Science  of  Living  or  the  Art  of  Keeping  Well."  Chap. 
XIV. 


INFLUENCE  OF  THE  MENTAL  STATE  145 

defenders  of  the  body  turn  insurgents,  and  devour  brain  cells, 
liver  cells,  and  feed  upon  any  part  of  the  body  that  happens  to 
be  in  a  weakened  state,  showing  great  preference  for  the  nerves, 
brain  cells,  and  other  of  the  more  highly  organized  tissues. 
This  affords  a  simple  explanation  of  loss  of  memory  and 
many  other  symptoms  found  in  old  age. 

RELATIVE    ANEMIAS 

Faith,  by  its  favorable  influence  upon  the  circulation,  has  a 
tendency  to  prevent  certain  forms  of  relative  anaemia.  By 
both  its  influence  upon  the  blood-making  process  and  the  cir- 
culation, a  sunny  disposition  favors  a  healthy  and  normal  blood 
stream;  while  worry,  directly  and  indirectly,  tends  positively 
to  deteriorate  the  quality  of  the  circulating  fluids. 

Many  a  pale-faced  woman  would  find  speedy  relief  from  her 
pallor,  anaemia,  and  sluggish  circulation  by  overcoming  her 
downcast  and  despondent  disposition  —  by  simply  "  cheering 
up."  We  recently  saw  such  a  case  with  the  haemoglobin  reg- 
istering at  80.  This  young  woman  had  been  treated  for 
anaemia  for  almost  a  full  year,  with  but  little  improvement. 
She  suddenly  embraced  some  new  psychic  cult,  ceased  worry- 
ing, quit  fretting;  her  digestion  began  immediately  to  improve, 
circulation  grew  better,  and,  in  six  weeks  her  anaemia  had  en- 
tirely disappeared;  her  haemoglobin  test  showed  about  100. 

An  English  authority  asserts  that  even  that  dreaded  malady, 
pernicious  anaemia,  is  frequently  brought  on  by  prolonged 
worry  and  chronic  fretting.  The  blood  count  has  been  observed 
to  increase  and  decrease  all  the  way  from  five  to  twenty-five 
per  cent  in  response  to  emotional  changes  in  the  mind.  This 
apparent  fluctuation  in  the  blood  count  is  due,  as  in  the  case 
of  such  changes  following  a  cold  bath,  to  the  fluxion  of  the 
circulation  and  the  resultant  variation  in  the  amount  and  qual- 
ity of  the  blood  at  the  point  where  the  specimen  was  obtained 
for  examination,  and  not  to  any  actual  and  sudden  creation  of 
new  blood  cells  on  the  part  of  the  blood-making  organs. 

PSYCHIC    BLOOD    POISONS 

The  human  body  was  defined  by  Bouchard  as  a  "  laboratory 
for  the  making  of  poisons."  Faith,  by  its  stimulating  action 
upon  the  circulatory  and  eliminative  processes,  greatly  lessens 


146       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

the  danger  of  the  body  from  the  results  of  the  accumulation 
of  these  pernicious  poisons;  while  the  depressing  influence  of 
fear  not  only  favors  their  production  and  action,  but,  accord- 
ing to  recent  experiments,  fear,  worry,  and  anger,  are  in  them- 
selves directly  responsible  for  the  production  of  certain  special, 
subtle  poisons,  which  are  exceedingly  harmful  to  the  human 
organism.  It  has  long  been  recognized  that  animals  which 
were  worried  or  teased  just  before  slaughter  are  very  unhealth- 
ful  —  that  their  flesh  is  even  dangerous  to  use  for  food. 

It  now  seems  altogether  likely  that  an  unwholesome  mental 
state,  by  its  direct  influence  over  the  nerves  leading  to  the 
glands  and  cells,  is  actually  able  so  to  modify  the  natural  and 
normal  secretions,  as  to  result  in  the  production  of  substances 
which  are  positively  poisonous  to  the  other  cells  and  organs  of 
the  body.  Such  a  perversion  of  the  secretory  functions  is 
not  to  be  wondered  at,  in  view  of  the  physiological  facts  con- 
cerning the  reflex  chemical  excitation  and  modification  of 
glandular  activity  formerly  noted  in  connection  with  the  con- 
sideration of  the  "  chemical  messengers "  or  hormones  in 
connection  with  the  secretion  of  the  pancreatic  juice. 

Several  investigators  have  averred  that  fear  and  anger  result 
in  the  production  of  extra  body  poisons,  some  of  which  are 
thrown  out  of  the  system  through  the  lungs.  These  have  been 
collected,  and  it  is  asserted  that '  experimental  tests  made  on 
animals  prove  these  substances  to  be  extraordinarily  deleterious 
and  highly  poisonous.  Other  experimenters  say  that  they  have 
isolated  such  "  emotional  poisons "  from  the  sweat  and  the 
urine.  While  the  author  is  compelled  to  view  some  of  these 
recent  observations  with  considerable  conservatism,  neverthe- 
less, he  expects  eventually  to  see  these  claims  fully  and  scien- 
tifically established.  Clinical  observation  on  the  nursing 
mother  is  entirely  sufficient  to  indicate  that  changes  in  the 
emotional  state  actually  effect  changes  in  the  bodily  secretions, 
as  a  fit  of  anger  on  the  part  of  the  mother  very  commonly  pro- 
duces a  fit  of  indigestion  on  the  part  of  the  sucking  child. 

THE   LYMPH    STREAM 

The  movement  of  the  lymph  through  the  lymphatic  channels 
is  favored  by  the  joyous  mental  state,  largely  for  the  same 


/ 


INFLUENCE  OF  THE  MENTAL  STATE         1^7 

reasons  that  were  shown  to  favor  the  circulation  of  the  blood; 
and,  of  course,  the  circulation  of  the  lymph  would  be  likewise 
retarded  by  a  gloomy  and  downcast  state  of  mind.  The  author 
saw  a  case  of  dropsy  a  few  years  ago  which  appeared  in  one 
night,  apparently  as  a  result  of  acute  fright;  at  least  that  was 
the  only  discoverable  cause.  The  dropsy  disappeared  without 
medical  treatment  at  the  end  of  forty-eight  hours,  and  did  not 
recur. 

The  same  influences  which  are  able  to  retard  the  activities 
of  the  white  blood  cells  are  undoubtedly  also  able  to  decrease 
the  action  and  influence  of  the  lymphocytes  —  the  sturdy  white- 
cell  soldiers  of  the  lymphatic  glands. 

-  ANTI-BODIES    AND    ANTITOXINS 

Faith  and  fear  seem  to  be  able  to  influence  the  elaboration  of 
the  various  antitoxins  which  the  body  produces  to  neutralize 
and  combat  the  toxins  of  the  various  microbic  maladies.  In  all 
cases  of  infection  it  is  highly  important  to  maintain  a  perfect 
equilibrium  of  the  nervous  system  and  a  well-balanced  state  of 
the  circulation.  Circulatory  disturbances  and  nervous  derange- 
ments of  psychic  origin  indirectly  react  to  retard  the  formation 
of  anti-bodies  and  delay  the  production  of  antitoxin.  Even 
if  the  body  succeeds  in  producing  a  proper  quantity  of  potent 
antitoxin,  it  is  still  very  essential  that  the  circulation  should 
be  uninterfered  with  in  order  that  these  protective  substances 
should  freely  and  uniformly  circulate  throughout  the  body. 

Fear,  by  its  paralyzing  influence  upon  cell  secretions,  gland- 
ular action,  circulatory  power,  and  nervous  impulses,  constantly 
exerts  itself  against  the  maintenance  of  health  and  the  preven- 
tion of  disease;  while  faith  fosters  every  process  and  function 
connected  with  the  marvellous  work  of  creating  and  dissemi- 
nating these  mysterious  defensive  anti-bodies  and  curative  anti- 
toxins. 

INFLUENCE  OF  THE   MENTAL  STATE  UPON  THE  VITAL   RESISTANCE 

The  vital  resistance  of  an  individual  signifies  the  sum  total 
of  his  powers  of  defence  against  disease.  It  represents  one's 
power  to  ward  off  disease  and  fight  accidental  infection. 
Habitual  users  of  alcohol  are  exceedingly  poor  surgical  risks, 
owing  to  the  fact  that  alcohol  lowers  the  vital  resistance,  and 


148       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

in  case  such  patients  are  attacked  by  the  germs  of  infection  and 
blood  poisoning,  they  are  very  likely  quickly  to  succumb. 

More  recently  we  have  come  to  recognize  that  a  man's  men- 
tal state  also  has  largely  to  do  with  increasing  or  decreasing 
his  vital  resistance.  The  hair  has  been  known  to  rapidly 
disappear  as  a  result  of  worry;  while  diabetes  and  other  seri- 
ous diseases  frequently  follow  on  the  heels  of  grief  and  pro- 
longed anxiety. 

Years  ago  Dr.  Maudsley  said: 

"Emotion  may  undoubtedly  favor,  hinder,  or  pervert  nutrition, 
and  increase,  lessen,  or  alter  a  secretion;  in  doing  which  there  is 
reason  to  think  that  it  acts,  not  only  by  dilating  or  contracting  the 
vessels  through  the  vaso-motor  system,  as  we  witness  in  the  blush 
of  shame  and  the  pallor  of  fear,  but  also  directly  on  the  organic 
elements  of  the  parts  through  the  nerves,  which,  as  the  latest  re- 
searches seem  to  show,  end  in  them  sometimes  by  continuity  of  sub- 
stance. To  me  it  seems  not  unreasonable  to  suppose  that  the  mind 
may  stamp  its  tone,  if  not  its  very  features,  on  the  individual  ele- 
ments of  the  body,  inspiring  them  with  hope  and  energy,  or  inflict- 
ing them  with  despair  and  feebleness." 

FEAR   AND    INFECTION 

Faith,  no  doubt,  is  a  material  aid  in  resisting  most  infectious 
diseases.  Fear  has  long  been  recognized  as  a  very  powerful 
factor  in  diseases  of  this  sort,  predisposing  its  victims  to  infec- 
tion and  to  contraction  of  the  various  contagious  and  infectious 
maladies.  Those  who  fear  a  disease  most  are  most  likely  to 
catch  it.  Those  who  fear  it  least  are  less  likely  to  con- 
tract it.  Doctors  are  seldom  smitten  with  the  contagious 
diseases  they  so  frequently  mingle  with,  not  only  because  of  the 
protective  measures  they  use,  but  also  because  of  the  fact  that 
they  seldom  fear  these  diseases;  and  therefore,  their  vital 
resistance  is  not  seriously  decreased  by  fear. 

We  recently  saw  a  case  where  an  unfortunate  woman  actu- 
ally worried  herself  to  death  over  the  fear  and  dread  of  having 
cancer.  Some  physician  had  told  her  fourteen  years  previous 
that  she  had  some  symptoms  of  cancer,  and  ever  since  that  time 
she  had  lived  in  constant  terror  of  that  disease.  Post-mortem 
examination  showed  her  to  be  absolutely  free  from  cancer  or 
any  other  organic  disease,  for  that  matter. 


INFLUENCE  OF  THE  MENTAL  STATE  149 

The  fear  of  disease  is  often  so  intense  and  acute  as  really  to 
cause  one  to  fall  a  victim  either  to  genuine  infection  or  a 
deceptive  and  imaginative  counterfeit,  as  is  so  frequently  the 
jcase  in  cholera,  hydrophobia,  and  lockjaw. 

THE    SOIL    OF    DISEASE 

The  fear  life,  by  its  unfavorable  influence  upon  the  nervous 
and  circulatory  systems,  maintains  a  bodily  state  wholly  unfa- 
vorable to  health,  while  in  every  way  favorable  to  the  growth 
and  development  of  disease  germs.  This  is  due  to  the  fact 
that  contagious  diseases  require  for  their  propagation,  not  only 
the  seed  or  the  germs,  but  also  a  favorable  soil  in  which  these 
seeds  may  grow.  Fear  by  its  depressing  influence  upon  the 
body  cells,  and  by  its  retarding  effect  upon  the  nervous  and 
circulatory  systems,  creates  physical  conditions  which  in  every 
way  favor  the  growth  and  multiplication  of  almost  every  kind 
of  disease  germs. 

Resistance  to  all  forms  of  disease,  both  acute  and  chronic, 
is  favored  by  a  cheerful  and  positive  mental  attitude;  while 
despondency  and  despair  greatly  weaken  and  eventually  tear 
down  the  body's  powers  of.  resistance  to  all  ordinary  diseases. 

Acute  functional  disorders  and  various  infectious  maladies 
invariably  follow  in  the  wake  of  mental  depression,  moral 
defeat,  business  troubles,  and  domestic  infelicity.  The  over- 
throw of  faith  and  courage  is  accompanied  by  a  downward 
tendency  on  the  part  of  all  the  defensive  forces  and  protective 
agencies  concerned  in  maintaining  the  body's  health  and 
strength. 

THE    HEALING    POWER 

Since  the  blood  is  the  chief  agent  concerned  in  healing, 
faith,  for  reasons  already  considered,  necessarily  facilitates 
the  repair  of  bodily  injuries,  and  favors  recovery  after  sur- 
gical operations.  Also,  for  reasons  already  noted,  fear  must 
inevitably  interfere  with  the  process  of  healing,  and  greatly 
delay  the  work  of  repair  and  recovery  in  all  cases  of  acciden- 
tal wounds  and   surgical  operations. 

Practical  experience  verifies  and  bears  out  this  theoretic 
conclusion.  Again  and  again  have  we  observed  two  surgical 
patients   who  had  passed  through  the   same  identical  ordeal. 


150       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

the  one  with  a  cheerful  and  optimistic  disposition,  the  other  with 
a  downcast  and  despondent  temperament.  The  patient  who 
exercised  faith  and  practised  courage  would  improve  twice  as 
fast  as  her  companion  sufferer.  All  things  equal,  surgical 
wounds  heal  more  rapidly  and  satisfactorily  in  the  case  of  pa- 
tients who  possess  a  sunny  and  cheerful  mental  habit.  Faith 
and  confidence  are  of  actual  aid  to  the  surgeon  in  all  his 
serious  and  important  work. 

VITAL     ENERGY 

By  vital  energy  is  meant  that  general  feeling  of  functional 
and  physical  well-being  which  characterizes  the  well  man,  as 
compared  to  the  depression  and  weakness  experienced  by  the 
sick  man.  The  generation  and  liberation  of  this  vital  energy 
and  physical  exuberance  is  most  powerfully  influenced  and 
favored  by  the  mental  attitude  of  faith  and  assurance,  while 
fear  vitiates  the  physical  strength,  dissipates  the  feelings,  and 
demoralizes  the  manifestation  of  this    so-called   vital   energy. 

It  is  well  known  that  faith  lessens  the  liability  to  contract 
most  contagious  diseases,  by  favoring  those  physical  states 
which  facilitate  the  defence  of  the  body  against  infection; 
while  fear  directly  increases  the  liability  of  catching  any  and 
all  diseases  to  which  one  may  be  exposed.  Colds  frequently 
follow  funerals  while  they  are  almost  unknown  in  connection 
with  baptisms.  At  funerals  the  mind  is  depressed  —  filled  with 
grief  and  fear;  at  baptisms  the  mind  is  dominated  by  faith. 

SICKNESS    IN    GENERAL 

All  forms  of  sickness  are  decreased  both  in  frequency  and 
severity  by  hopefulness.  A  person  with  a  sunshiny  disposition 
is  not  only  less  likely  to  be  stricken  down  with  common  diseases, 
but  is  also  more  likely  to  recover  quickly  when  affliction  does 
overtake  him.  It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  in  any  large  body 
of  men,  such  as  an  army  in  the  field,  sickness  is  lessened  by 
success  and  victory.  Armies  are  most  healthy  immediately 
after  their  great  victories,  notwithstanding  the  enormous  hard- 
ships and  the  overtaxation  of  strength  incident  to  military  cam- 
paigns. On  the  other  hand,  defeat  and  failure  of  an  army 
are  followed  by  a  tremendous  increase  in  all  forms  of  disease. 
And  it  is  just  so  in  the  life  of  the  citizen  as  well  as  the  soldier. 


INFLUENCE  OF  THE  MENTAL  STATE 


151 


Defeat  in  any  of  life's  tasks  is  frequently  followed  by  physical 
depression  and  actual  illness. 

Darwin  says  of  protracted  grief: 

"The  circulation  becomes  languid;  the  face  pale;  the  muscles 
flaccid ;  the  eyelids  droop ;  the  head  hangs  on  the  contracted  chest ; 
the  lips,  cheeks,  and  lower  jaw  all  sink  downward  from  their  own 
weight.  The  whole  expression  of  a  man  in  good  spirits  is  exactly 
the  opposite  of  the  one  suffering  from  sorrow." 

THE   DEATH   RATE 

To  sum  up  the  influence  of  faith  on  the  vital  resistance,  it 
must  be  evident  in  the  case  of  both  the  individual  and  the 
community,  that  optimism  lowers  the  death  rate,  while  pessi- 
mism must  be  reckoned  as  one  of  the  actual  causes  in  raising 
it.  If  it  were  possible  to  isolate  completely  the  mental  factors 
concerned  in  health  and  longevity,  it  would  no  doubt  surprise 
the  most  enthusiastic  advocates  of  mental  therapeutics  to  dis- 
cover the  vast  influence  exerted  by  the  mind  in  all  these 
matters  of  human  health  and  happiness. 

Comparative  Summary  of  the  Effects  of  Faith  and  Fear 
Upon  the  Vital  Resistance 


faith 

1.  The  red  cells:  Increases  and 
protects, 

2.  The  white  cells:  Increases 
activity  in  destroying  mi- 
crobes. 

3.  Relative  ancemia:  Prevents. 
Favors  normal  blood.  In- 
creases haemoglobin, 

4.  Psychic  blood  poisons:  Pre- 
vents their  formation. 

5.  The  lymph  stream:  Favors 
action  of  lymph  cells  and 
accelerates  circulation. 

6.  Anti-bodies  and  antitoxins: 
Assists  in  their  formation 
and  dissemination. 

7.  The  vital  resistance:  Greatly 
increased. 


fear 

1,  The  red  cells:  Decreases  and 
indirectly  destroys. 

2,  The  white  cells:  Increases 
activity  in  destroying  body 
cells, 

3,  Relative  ancemia:  Favored 
by  grief  and  worry.  De- 
creases haemoglobin. 

4,  Psychic  blood  poisons:  Fa- 
vors their  generation, 

5,  The  lymph  stream:  Hinders 
the  action  of  lymph  cells  and 
retards  circulation. 

6,  Anti-bodies  and  antitoxins: 
Delays  their  production  and 
dissemination, 

7,  The  vital  resistance:  Mark- 
edly decreased. 


152       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 


8.  Infection:     An  aid  in  resist- 
ing. 

9.  Disease-soil:       Creates     soil 
unfavorable  to  germs. 

10.  Healing  power:     Hastens  re- 
pair and  recovery. 

11.  Vital  energy:    Generates  and 
promotes. 

12.  Sickness:     Decreased  by  vic- 
tory and  success. 

13.  Death  rate:   Lowered. 


8.  Infection:       A     predisposing 
cause, 

9.  Disease-soil:       Creates      soil 
favorable  to   germs. 

10.  Healing    power:      Retarded. 
Delays  recovery. 

11.  Vital  energy:    Consumes  and 
diminishes. 

12.  Sickness:     Increased  by  de- 
feat and  failure. 

13.  Death  rate:     Raised. 


CHAPTER  XV 

THE  MIND  AS  CONCERNED  IN  THE  ACTION  OF  THE 
SECRETORY  GLANDS 

Secretion     in    general. —  Salivary    secretion. —  Quantity 

AND     QUALITY. MeTABOLIC      FACTOR. The    SALIVARY     FLOW. 

—  Germicidal  power. —  The  liver  and  pancreas. —  The 
SECRETION. —  Quality  of  secretion. —  The  secretory  mech- 
anism.—  The  mammary  secretion. —  The  kidney  and 
bladder. —  comparative  summary  of  the  effects  of  faith 
and  fear  on  the  action  of  the  secretory  glands. 

WHEN  we  come  to  the  study  of  digestion,  secretion,  and 
assimilation,  we  find  that  the  mind  exerts  no  less  an  in- 
fluence upon  these  important  chemical  functions  than  it  does 
upon  heart  action  and  the  circulation  of  the  blood.  We 
have  long  known  that  the  mental  state  exerts  considerable 
influence  upon  digestive  secretory  activities,  but  it  remained 
for  Pawlow,  the  Russian  physiologist,  to  demonstrate  this  fact 
conclusively. 

SECRETION   IN   GENERAL 

Precise  experimental  inquiry  and  careful  clinical  observation 
have  demonstrated  beyond  the  shadow  of  a  doubt  that  the 
physiology  of  secretion  throughout  the  body  is  more  or  less 
influenced  by  the  psychic  state;  while  certain  special  instances, 
such  as  the  stomach  secretions,  are  almost  wholly  and  com- 
pletely under  mental  control  and  nervous  direction. 

Not  only  by  its  influence  upon  the  glandular  blood  supply  and 
circulation,  but  by  direct  nervous  influence,  the  mind  is  found 
able  directly  and  powerfully  to  modify  and  regulate  the  diges- 
tive juices  and  other  important  bodily  secretions.  The  stomach 
represents  the  secretory  function  most  easily  and  powerfully 
influenced  by  psychic  stimuli,  while  the  nancreas  typifies  the 

153 


154       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

secretory  gland  which  is  least  influenced  by  mental  means  — 
being  almost  exclusively  under  chemical  control. 

The  mind  is  not  only  able  to  alter  the  character  of  the  milk, 
but  also  to  change  and  modify  the  nature  of  the  sweat  and  the 
secretion  of  the  kidneys  (the  urine),  as  will  be  more  fully 
noted  later.  All  the  evidence  goes  to  prove  that  the  vast  ma- 
jority of  the  body's  secretory  functions  are  very  largely  dom- 
inated and  modified  by  faith  and  fear.  Even  the  lachrymal  or 
tear  gland  is  set  in  operation  by  the  feelings  and  emotions. 

SALIVARY    SECRETION 

The  secretion  of  saliva  and  the  behavior  of  the  salivary 
glands,  together  with  the  quality  or  digestive  power  of  the 
saliva  itself,  have  long  afforded  experimental  physiologists  one 
of  their  best  possible  opportunities  to  observe. and  compare  the 
relative  influence  and  power  of  various  physical,  chemical,  and 
mental  stimuli,  in  their  action  upon  secretory  glands. 

Nervous  mechanism.  The  nervous  mechanism  involved  in 
salivary  secretion  has  been  described  by  physiologists  as  con- 
sisting of  the  following: 

1.  Vaso-motor  changes,  causing  alteration  in  the  blood  supply 
and  blood  flow  through  the  glands. 

2.  Chemical  and  cellular  changes  in  the  gland  itself  connected 
with  the  elaboration  of  the  organic  and  possibly  of  the  inor- 
ganic constituents  of  the  saliva. 

3.  Changes  by  which  water  is  secreted,  i.  e.,  passes  through 
the  basement  membrane  and  gland  cell,  and  the  consequent 
movement  of  the  fluid  through  the  cells  and  along  the  ducts. 

The  reflex  centres  for  the  secretion  of  saliva  lie  in  the 
medulla  oblongata,  at  the  origin  of  the  seventh  and  ninth  cra- 
nial nerves.  The  centre  for  the  sympathetic  fibres  is  also  lo- 
cated there.  This  region  is  connected  by  nerve  fibres  with  the 
cerebrum;  hence  the  thought  of  a  savory  morsel,  when  one  is 
hungry,  often  produces  a  copious  secretion  of  a  thin  watery 
fluid  —  it  "  makes  the  mouth  water."  All  these  facts  lead  to 
the  conclusion  that  the  nerves  must  exercise  a  direct  influence 
upon  the  secretory  cells,  apart  from  their  action  on  the  blood 
vessels. 

The  secretion  of  the  saliva  is  not  a  simple  matter  of  physics 


CM 
O 
ll. 


THE  MIND  AND  SECRETION  155 

their  internal  pressure  is  vastly  greater  than  that  of  the  sur- 
and  chemistry.  Saliva  is  formed  within  the  glands  while 
rounding  blood  vessels,  under  which  conditions,  the  saliva 
formed  would  naturally  be  secreted  into  the  blood  stream 
and  not  into  the  salivary  ducts  leading  to  the  mouth,  were  its 
secretion  a  mere  matter  of  osmosis  and  filtration. 

Quantity  and  quality.  Both  the  quantity  and  the  quality  of 
the  saliva  are  increased  by  faith  and  decreased  by  fear.  Faith 
and  happiness  encourage  the  production  of  a  strong  and  active 
saliva  —  a  secretion  powerful  in  its  ability  to  turn  starch  into 
sugar;  while  fear  not  only  deteriorates  the  quality  and  diges- 
tive power  of  the  saliva,  but  not  infrequently  results  in  the 
production  of  a  secretion  so  modified  as  sometimes  to  become 
actually  bitter. 

The  further  action  of  the  mind  upon  salivary  secretion  is 
shown  on  the  one  hand  by  the  watering  of  the  mouth  when 
the  mind  is  pleasantly  disposed  and  anticipative  of  enjoying 
some  favorite  dish;  and  on  the  other  hand,  by  the  character- 
istic dry  mouth  resulting  from  the  almost  complete  suppression 
of  salivary  secretion  which  so  commonly  accompanies  so-called 
stage  fright  and  other  nervous  and  emotional  states  in  which 
fear  is  the  dominating  element. 

Metabolic  factor.  It  does  not  appear  just  how  far  the  in- 
fluence of  the  mind  goes  in  connection  with  its  ability  to  reg- 
ulate salivary  secretion,  until  we  pause  to  consider  the  great 
importance  of  salivary  action  and  mouth  digestion  on  the  en- 
tire process  of  digestion  and  nutrition.  The  muscles  of  mas- 
tication and  swallowing  are  the  only  voluntary  muscles  con- 
nected with  the  process  of  digestion.  (See  Fig.  21.)  Mouth 
digestion  is  the  only  part  of  the  digestive  process  which  it  is 
possible  for  a  person  voluntarily  to  direct  and  control.  If 
salivary  digestion  is  properly  and  completely  carried  forward, 
it  constitutes  a  mighty  assurance  that  the  entire  remaining 
portion  of  the  digestive  process  will  be  satisfactorily  and  suc- 
cessfully completed. 

When  food  is  properly  liquefied  by  mastication  and  admix- 
ture of  saliva,  it  finds  its  way  into  the  minute  circular  troughs 
which  surround  the  taste  buds  at  the  base  of  the  tongue.    (See 


156       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

Fig.  21.)  Here  the  organs  of  taste  are  bathed  with  the  va- 
rious food  flavors  which  are  in  solution,  and  in  this  way, 
through  the  nervous  system,  messages  are  sent  to  the  stomach, 
in  obedience  to  which  that  organ  begins  the  outpouring  of 
gastric  juice  in  about  four  and  a  half  minutes  from  the  time 
the  taste  buds  are  excited.  And  since  taste  is  the  actual  reg- 
ulator of  metabolism  and  the  natural  controller  of  appetite 
itself,  the  fact  that  the  salivary  digestion  is  more  or  less 
under  the  control  of  the  mind  becomes  of  more  than  passing 
importance. 

The  salivary  flow.  That  fear  is  able  markedly  to  decrease 
the  flow  of  the  saliva  is  shown  by  the  ancient  experimental  test 
of  the  Chinese,  who  caused  suspected  criminals  to  be  drawn 
up  in  line  and  then  compelled  quickly  to  chew  and  swallow  a 
handful  of  dry  rice.  The  guilty  man  would  usually  become  so 
frightened  that  his  salivary  glands  would  refuse  to  work,  his 
mouth  and  throat  becoming  so  dry  that  he  could  not  possibly 
swallow  the  rice  in  the  time  allotted. 

Some  one  has  suggested  that  an  unwelcome  and  discordant 
street  band  can  be  successfully  stopped  by  simply  sucking  a 
lemon  in  full  view  of  the  musicians,  the  suggestion  being  so 
effective  that  a  profuse  flow  of  saliva  results,  and  at  once 
puts  the  horn-blowers  out  of  commission. 

Digestive  power.  Fear,  by  depressing  the  activity  of  the 
salivary  glands  and  thereby  deteriorating  the  quality  of  the 
saliva  as  well  as  lessening  its  digestive  power,  no  doubt  greatly 
favors  the  growth  of  germs  in  the  mouth.  This  abnormal 
growth  of  bacteria  results  in  the  production  of  an  unusually 
bad  taste  in  the  mouth  as  well  as  a  horribly  coated  tongue. 
Many  a  badly  coated  tongue  has  been  attributed  to  an  inno- 
cent and  unoffending  stomach,  when  the  real  trouble  was  to 
be  found  in  a  poor  quality  of  saliva  in  connection  with  an 
utter  neglect  of  the  toilet  of  the  mouth. 

All  melancholic  persons  are  troubled  by  deficient  salivary 
secretion.  Fear  and  worry  lessen  the  production  of  saliva 
and  thereby  predispose  these  unfortunate  people  to  the  temp- 
tation to  drink  unnecessary  quantities  of  water  or  other  liq- 
uids during  the  meal  hour,  so  that  by  dilution,  the  digestive 
strength  of  the  saliva  is  still  further  lessened. 


THE  MIND  AND  SECRETION  157 

THE    LIVER   AND    PANCREAS 

The  nervous  control  of  the  various  digestive  glands  asso- 
ciated with  the  stomach  in  the  work  of  digestion  is  not  so  pro- 
found as  in  the  case  of  the  salivary  glands  and  the  stomach, 
nevertheless,  it  will  appear  that  the  mind  is  far  from  lacking 
power  and  influence  over  these  special  functions. 

The  liver  and  pancreas  will  be  considered  together,  as  their 
secretory  functions  are  somewhat  related,  in  that  their  secre- 
tions are  poured  out  into  the  bowel  together,  and  the  chemical 
stimuli  which  acts  on  one  seems  to  act  in  like  manner  on  the 
other. 

The  secretion.  Faith  and  good  cheer  seem  to  favor  the 
production  of  a  normal  amount  of  secretion  by  both  the  liver 
and  the  pancreas,  while  fear  and  grief  tend  to  depress  the 
action  of  these  glands  and  thereby  to  lessen  their  secretions. 
On  the  other  hand,  acute  fright  and  intense  anxiety  have  been 
known  actually  to  bring  on  an  attack  of  jaundice.  This 
is  one  of  the  well-known  ways  in  which  fear  acts  —  always 
depressing  in  its  ultimate  effect,  but  sometimes  highly  stimu- 
lating in  its  first  effect  on  the  organism,  especially  in  the  case 
of  acute,  sudden,  and  overwhelming  fright  or  shock. 

Quality  of  secretion.  The  natural  mental  states  permit  the 
liver  and  pancreatic  gland  to  carry  forward  their  functions 
unmolested,  while  abnormal  states  of  the  mind  react  to  the 
disturbance  of  their  work.  As  previously  noted,  anger  and 
fear  may  so  disorganize  the  work  of  the  liver  as  actually  to 
bring  on  an  attack  of  so-called  biliousness  accompanied  by 
jaundice. 

The  pancreas  seems  to  be  especially  subject  to  influence  by 
faith  and  fear.  It  is  a  generally  accepted  belief  that  the  pan- 
creatic gland  secretes  a  substance  which  is  concerned  in  the 
oxidation  or  burning  up  of  sugar  in  the  system. 

In  diabetes,  among  other  abnormal  conditions  there  seems 
to  be  a  derangement  of  this  particular  function  of  the  pan- 
creas. Now,  it  has  been  repeatedly  observed  that  when  dia- 
betics are  depressed  —  when  they  become  violently  angry  or 
indulge  in  excessive  worry  and  melancholic  reflections  —  the 
percentage  of  sugar  excreted  in  the  urine  is  almost  invariably 


158       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

increased.  The  degree  of  increase,  at  least  in  the  majority 
of  the  cases,  seems  to  be  in  a  significant  ratio  to  the  intensity 
of  the  anger  and  the  degree  of  the  mental  depression.  In  this 
connection  it  should  be  noted  that  several  European  authori- 
ties have  reported  that  they  have  actually  been  able  to  reduce 
the  amount  of  sugar  in  the  urine  by  means  of  suggestive 
therapeutics  —  by  promoting  a  healthy  state  of  mind. 

The  secretory  mechanism.  In  order  to  make  perfectly  clear 
just  what  part  the  nerves  play  in  the  secretions  of  the  liver 
and  pancreas,  and  in  order  not  to  give  the  impression  that  the 
mind  wholly  dominates  these  secretory  functions  as  in  the 
cases  of  the  mouth  and  stomach,  it  will  probably  be  best  to 
explain  more  fully  the  chemical  means  whereby  pancreatic 
secretory  activity  is  excited. 

During  digestion,  as  the  acid  contents  of  the  stomach  are 
injected  into  the  bowel,  the  action  of  the  acid  on  the  intes- 
tinal mucous  membrane  produces  a  sudden  closure  of  the  stom- 
ach. The  stomach  does  not  again  open  to  empty  itself  until 
this  acid  has  been  neutralized  by  the  bile  and  the  alkaline 
pancreatic  juice. 

The  presence  of  acid  in  the  intestine  causes  the  bowel  to 
produce  a  substance  called  secretin  —  a  sort  of  chemical  mes- 
senger to  the  liver  and  the  pancreas,  telling  them  how  soon 
their  secretions  will  be  needed.  This  substance  has  been  col- 
lected, and,  when  injected  into  the  blood  stream  of  an  animal, 
it  never  fails  to  produce  an  immediate  secretion  of  both  bile 
and  pancreatic  juice.  There  are  a  large  number  of  these 
chemical  messengers  secreted  by  the  body,  and  as  a  class  they 
are  known  as  hormones. 

Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  chemical  influences  apparently 
dominate  the  pancreatic  secretions,  Pawlow  conclusively  dem- 
onstrated that  the  vagus  nerve  carried  fibres,  the  stimulation 
of  which  excited  a  profuse  flow  of  pancreatic  jiaice  in  three 
minutes.  The  sympathetic  system  is  also  largely  concerned 
in  the  work  of  both  the  liver  and  the  pancreas. 

THE   MAMMARY    SECRETION 

Many  a  mother  engaged  in  nursing  her  infant  has  had  her 
milk  dried  up  and  has  been  compelled  to  wean  the  child  as 


THE  MIND  AND  SECRETION  159 

a  result  of  chronic  fear  —  worry.  Fear  cannot  only  diminish  or 
stop  the  secretion  of  milk,  but  it  is  a  well-known  fact  that 
anger  and  fretting,  grief  and  despondency,  are  able  actually 
to  change  the  character  of  the  secretion  of  the  mammary 
gland,  so  that  the  milk  may  become  highly  injurious  or  posi- 
tively poisonous  to  the  sucking  child. 

Again,  it  has  been  observed  that  a  mother  whose  breast  con- 
tains but  little  or  no  milk,  will,  upon  hearing  her  child  cry  con- 
tinuously for  food,  actually  begin  to  secrete  an  increased 
amount  of  milk  in  response  to  the  nervous  stimulation  result- 
ing from  a  knowledge  and  recognition  of  the  babe's  pressing 
needs.  We  know  of  several  cases  of  young  mothers  who  had 
but  little  milk  and  who  did  not  desire  to  nurse  their  offspring, 
but  who,  upon  having  their  minds  changed  and  after  choosing 
to  suckle  their  children,  began  at  once  to  have  an  increasingly 
copious  secretion  of  breast  milk.  One  observer  reports  a  case 
in  which  the  milk  secretion  was  quadrupled  in  nine  weeks, 
largely  by  suggestion  and  the  production  of  a  natural  state 
of  mind  in  the  mother. 

THE    KIDNEY   AND  BLADDER 

Laboratory  studies  of  the  urine  serve  to  show  that  the  mental 
habits  of  the  individual  have  not  a  little  to  do  with  the  secre- 
tory activities  of  the  kidneys.  While  faith  favors  a  normal 
quality  of  urine  and  a  normal  or  increased  quantity,  fear  almost 
invariably  decreases  the  quantity  and  alters  the  quality.  The 
urinary  flow  in  certain  nervous  individuals  is  extremely  sus- 
ceptible to  the  emotional  changes.  This  behavior  of  the 
urinary  flow  in  response  to  the  psychic  state  is  no  doubt  largely 
due  to  the  power  of  the  mental  state  to  influence  and  modify 
the  flow  of  blood  through  the  kidneys.  Dr.  Clifford  Allbutt 
says  it  is  an  undoubted  clinical  fact  that  granular  kidney  is 
often  produced  by  prolonged  mental  anxiety.  Diabetes  is  un- 
doubtedly caused  by  mental  strain.  Sir  B.  W.  Richardson  has 
known  diabetes  caused  from  pure  mental  strain.  He  also 
says :  **  Diabetes  from  sudden  mental  shock  is  a  pure  type  of 
a  physical  malady  of  mental  origin."  He  found  that  eleven 
parts  of  urine  were  secreted  in  repose,  compared  to  thirteen 
when  the  brain  was  active. 


i6o       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 


The  apparent  influence  of  the  mind  and  emotion  over  the 
bladder  and  urination  is  simply  due  to  nervous  reflexes  and  is 
a  consequence  of  kidney  circulatory  disturbances.  There  is 
no  question  of  the  fact  that  fear  can  profoundly  affect  the 
muscular  control  of  the  bladder  —  leading  to  the  sudden  void- 
ing of  the  urine,  as  in  the  case  of  children  who  are  unusually 
frightened.  The  mind  is  also  a  prominent  and  powerful  factof 
in  the  treatment  of  nocturnal  enuresis  in  certain  nervous 
children. 

Comparative  Summary  of  the  Effects  of  Faith  and  Fear 
ON  the  Action  of  the  Secretory  Glands 


faith 

1.  Secretion  in  general:  Favors 
normal  quantity  and  quality. 

2.  Saliva,  quantity:     Increased, 

3.  Saliva,  quality:  Produces 
an  active  juice. 

4.  Metabolic  factor:  Promotes 
normal  metabolism. 

5.  Salivary  How:  Abundant. 
"Mouth   waters." 

6.  Digestive  power:  Favored 
or  increased. 

7.  Liver  and  pancreas,  secre- 
tion:    Normal  amount. 

8.  Liver  and  pancreas,  quality: 
Normal  and  natural. 

9.  Mammary  secretion:  Quan- 
tity increased.  Quality  im- 
proved or  normal. 

10.  Kidney  and  bladder:  Quan- 
tity of  urine  increased.  Qual- 
ity normal. 


fear 

1.  Secretion  in  general:  Re- 
tards, modifies,  and  deranges. 
Lessens  quantity. 

2.  Saliva,  quantity:     Decreased. 

3.  Saliva,  quality:  Inferior. 
Sometimes  bitter. 

4.  Metabolic  factor:  Deranges 
the  nutrition. 

5.  Salivary  How:  Decreased. 
Mouth   dry  in   stage  fright. 

6.  Digestive  power:     Lessened. 

7.  Liver  and  pancreas,  secre- 
tion:    Decreased  amount. 

8.  Liver  and  pancreas,  quality: 
Altered. 

9.  Mammary  secretion:  Quan- 
tity lessened.  Quality  al- 
tered  or  poisoned  by  anger. 

10.  Kidney  and  bladder:  Quan- 
tity of  urine  decreased. 
Quality  altered. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

THE  MENTAL  INFLUENCES  CONCERNED  IN 
DIGESTION 

The  gastric  juice. —  Quality  of  the  gastric  juice. —  The 

DIGESTIVE    STRENGTH. —  PsYCHIC   DYSPEPSIA. —  ThE    "  APPETITE 

juice.'' —  Stomach  muscular  movements. —  Slow  diges- 
tion.—  Digestion  worry,  nervous  dyspepsia. —  The  vom- 
iting centre. —  Mental  influence  and  intestinal  action. 

—  Quantity   and   quality. —  Peristalsis. —  Constipation. 

—  Comparative  summary  of  the  effects  of  faith  and 
fear  on  digestion. 

RECENT  experiments  and  observation  indicate  that  the  ac- 
tivities of  the  various  secretory  glands  are  more  largely 
influenced  by  the  mental  and  nervous  states  than  any  other 
vital  function  of  the  body.  Pawlow,  among  his  other  epoch- 
making  investigations,  showed  that  the  appetite  is  the  master 
regulator  of  gastric  secretion  and  stomach  digestion. 
the  gastric  juice 

Faith  —  expectant  hunger  —  produces  an  abundant  flow  of 
gastric  juice  from  the  secreting  glands  located  in  the  walls  of 
the  stomach;  while  fear,  grief,  worry,  and  fretting  invariably 
decrease  the  secretion  and  lessen  the  flow  of  the  gastric  juice, 
as  will  be  more  fully  noted  later.  Chronic  worriers  and  de- 
spondent patients  universally  suffer  from  deficient  gastric  juice 
and  slow  digestion. 

The  pleasant  emotions  all  favor  the  secretion  of  an  increased 
quantity  of  gastric  juice  by  their  salutary  influence  upon  a 
man's  appetite  and  general  good-humor;  while  the  depressing 
and  surly  frame  of  mind  unfailingly  contributes  to  decreasing 
the  amount  of  the  stomach's  secretions. 

Let  us  hear  some  bad  news  or  receive  some  shocking  intel- 

i6i 


i62       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

ligence  at  meal  time,  and  note  how  quickly  the  stomach  sus- 
pends its  activities,  while  the  appetite  positively  refuses  more 
food. 

Pawlow  in  feeding  one  of  his  dogs  by  the  so-called  "  sham 
feeding"  procedure,  reports  that  the  dog  ate  greedily  for  six 
hours,  the  stomach  glands  secreting  700  cc.  of  gastric  juice 
during  this  time,  although  not  a  morsel  of  food  actually  en- 
tered the  dog's  stomach  —  it  all  fell  through  the  artificial  open- 
ing in  the  gullet  into  a  bucket  on  the  floor.  Nevertheless,  as 
long  as  the  dog  enjoyed  the  taste  of  food  and  continued  to  eat, 
the  gastric  juice  continued  to  be  produced  and  flowed  freely. 

QUALITY    OF    THE    GASTRIC    JUICE 

Faith  and  its  allied  mental  states  in  every  way  favor  the 
secretion  of  a  natural  and  normally  balanced  digestive  juice. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  sordid  and  pessimistic  emotions  all  con- 
tribute to  demoralize  the  gastric  secretion  —  to  alter  its  pro- 
portions and  decrease  its  strength.  The  author  no  longer 
doubts  that  many  cases  of  so-called  acid  dyspepsia  are  due 
largely  to  mental  and  nervous  causes. 

The  stomach  is  exceedingly  susceptible  to  the  slightest 
changes  in  the  mental  state.  The  stomach  is  probably  the 
most  suggestible  organ  in  the  whole  body.  The  mere  sight  of 
a  fly  in  the  food  is  entirely  suflicient  to  cause  many  persons  to 
vomit  forthwith.  The  thought  of  an  emetic  will  produce 
nausea  and  even  actual  regurgitation  in  numerous  sensitive  and 
nervous  individuals.  The  mind  is  able  profoundly  to  control 
stomach  digestion  by  means  of  the  great  pneumogastric  nerves, 
and  also  indirectly  through  the  vast  sympathetic  nerve  supply 
going  to  the  stomach  from  the  solar  plexus  —  the  abdominal 
brain. 

It  is  now  known  that  the  quality  and  constituents  of  the 
gastric  secretion  vary  from  meal  to  meal  in  perfect  harmony 
with  the  change  in  food,  the  keenness  of  the  appetite,  and  the 
sense  of  enjoyment  connected  with  the  sense  of  taste. 

THE  DIGESTIVE  STRENGTH 

When  the  nerve  impulses  are  normal  and  the  mental  states 
healthy,  the  digestive  power  is  usually  excellent.  Faith  actu- 
ally improves  the  digestion,  while  good  cheer  prevents  dys- 


MENTAL  INFLUENCES  ON  DIGESTION         163 

pepsia.  People  are  not  only  sour  in  disposition  because  they 
are  suffering  from  indigestion,  but  many  are  suffering  from 
dyspepsia  because  they  were  previously  out  of  sorts.  A  sour 
disposition  sooner  or  later  leads  to  a  sour  stomach. 

It  is  notorious  that  one's  digestion  is  always  good  on  a  hol- 
iday. Vacation  digestion  is  usually  extra  good.  At  such  times 
you  eat  things  with  more  or  less  impunity  which  would  pro- 
foundly upset  your  digestion  at  other  times.  When  the  mind  is 
carefree,  when  you  are  cheerful  and  happy  —  when  the  attri- 
butes of  faith  and  hope  dominate  the  mind  and  nervous  system 
—  the  stomach  glands  do  their  best,  they  pour  forth  a  copious 
and  abundant  juice,  strong  in  digestive  power.  In  contrast  with 
this  ideal  digestive  state,  note  the  fact  that  most  persons  who 
habitually  eat  alone,  sooner  or  later  develop  some  form  of  dys- 
pepsia. 

Lack  of  sociability  and  good  cheer  at  the  table  predisposes 
to  indigestion.  The  mechanical,  business-like  methods  of  that 
unhygienic  abomination,  the  quick-lunch  counter,  is  responsi- 
ble for  a  large  portion  of  the  rapidly  increasing  number  of 
dyspepsia  sufferers  in  this  country.  Mental  courage  and  good 
cheer  also  favor  a  healthy  nerve  tone  and  strong  muscular 
action  on  the  part  of  the  stomach  itself. 

PSYCHIC  DYSPEPSIA 

We  recently  had  a  woman  patient  who  had  had  an  attack  of 
acute  indigestion  some  eight  years  ago,  and  ever  since  had 
been  a  constant  sufferer  from  a  most  obstinate  and  refrac- 
tory form  of  indigestion,  which  had  successfully  withstood  all 
efforts  looking  toward  a  cure.  Her  mind  was  ever  on  her 
stomach  —  it  was  the  constant  topic  of  her  conversation. 
Strange  to  report,  a  careful  chemical  examination  of  the  con- 
tents of  her  stomach,  following  the  taking  up  of  the  usual  test- 
meal  which  is  given  for  the  purpose  of  making  a  stomach 
diagnosis,  revealed  the  curious  fact  that  there  was  very  little 
actually  wrong  with  this  patient's  digestion;  to  say  the  least, 
not  enough  to  account  for  her  severe  and  long-continued 
suffering. 

It  would  not  have  been  the  part  of  wisdom  to  present  the 
full  facts  to  her  mind  at  once.     She  had  nursed  her  complaint 


i64      THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

entirely  too  long  and  too  lovingly  ever  to  be  persuaded  that 
her  indigestion  actually  and  almost  wholly  existed  primarily 
in  her  mind,  and  that  her  stomach  disorder  v^ras  but  the  repro- 
duction of  her  own  mental  disorder.  In  other  words,  she  was 
entirely  too  nervous  to  be  convinced  that  her  difficulty  was 
of  a  nervous  nature,  largely  psychic  in  origin  —  psychic 
dyspepsia. 

The  following  plan  was  adopted:  She  was  told  that  an 
exact  diagnosis  of  her  stomach  trouble  had  been  arrived  at; 
that  the  laboratory  findings  were  explicit  and  positive;  that  at 
last  we  knew  the  precise  condition  of  her  stomach,  and  that 
we  were  also  able,  as  far  as  physicians  ever  are,  to  promise 
her  that  she  would  make  a  speedy  and  complete  recovery  under 
the  proper  treatment  and  diet,  and  that,  in  all  probability,  she 
would  be  entirely  well  within  thirty  days. 

She  was  utterly  dumbfounded  at  this  promise  and  replied 
that  it  was  too  good  to  believe  —  too  much  to  expect,  after  all 
the  years  she  had  suffered;  whereupon,  we  replied  that  absolute 
trust  —  implicit  faith  —  was  required  on  the  part  of  the  pa- 
tient in  the  treatment  of  all  such  forms  of  stomach  disorder; 
and  that  if  she  continued  to  harbor  distrust,  it  would  give  rise  to 
such  a  nervous  state  as  would  effectively  counteract  the  curative 
powers  of  our  diet  and  other  treatment.  The  latter  consisted 
of  the  following:  A  general  course  of  baths,  massage,  and 
electricity  calculated  to  rest  and  soothe  both  mind  and  body, 
together  with  a  graduated  scheme  of  diet,  arranged  so  as 
gradually  to  restore  all  the  numerous  wholesome  foods  which 
she  had  discarded  on  the  supposition  that  they  did  not  agree 
with  her,  or  that  they  aggravated  her  indigestion. 

Day  by  day  she  had  restored  to  her  diet  these  supposedly 
harmful  articles  of  diet,  while  day  by  day  we  assured  her  that 
they  would  not  disagree  with  her;  and  day  by  day  she  ate  the 
prescribed  diet,  and  it  did  not  disagree  with  her.  At  the  end 
of  a  week,  she  began  to  gain  in  weight  and  to  gain'  in  strength 
and  courage.  She  actually  got  the  notion  into  her  head  that 
she  was  going  to  get  well.  Her  appetite  began  to  improve; 
she  began  to  smile  and  talk  about  her  wonderful  recovery; 
said  she  believed  that  the  secret  of  her  case  had  at  last  been 


MENTAL  INFLUENCES  ON  DIGESTION        165 

discovered  and  that  she  was  really  going  to  get  well.     She  did 
get  well. 

Within  four  weeks  the  battle  was  practically  won,  the  long 
struggle  with  mental  or  nervous  dyspepsia  was  over,  and  the 
patient  has  ever  since  been  rejoicing  in  the  blessing  of  good 
health  and  enjoying  the  inestimable  boon  of  sound  digestion. 

THE  "  APPETITE  JUICE  " 

In  his  remarkable  experiments  upon  dogs,  Pawlow,  the  Rus- 
sian physiologist,  demonstrated  that  the  secretion  of  the  gas- 
tric juice  during  the  first  half  of  digestion  is  entirely  regulated 
by  the  sense  of  taste  and  the  keenness  of  the  appetite.  The 
presence  of  food  in  the  stomach,  with  the  exception  of  milk 
and  certain  meat  and  vegetable  juices,  produces  no  secretion 
of  gastric  juice  whatever;  whereas,  the  thought  of  eating  or 
the  desire  to  eat,  or  even  the  agreeable  smell  of  food,  produces 
an  abundant  flow  of  strong  gastric  juice  in  about  four  and  a 
half  minutes.  This  initial  juice  —  the  only  juice  to  be  found 
in  the  stomach  during  the  first  half  of  digestion  —  has  there- 
fore been  aptly  called  "  appetitie  juice,"  or  "  psychic  juice." 
The  quantity  of  this  juice  may  be  great  or  small,  according 
as  the  appettite  is  strong  or  weak. 

During  the  latter  half  of  digestion,  the  appetite  or  psychic 
juice  gradually  disappears,  its  place  being  taken  by  a  second 
form  of  secretion  largely  changed  and  called  the  "  chemical 
juice,"  the  nature  and  strength  of  which  is  entirely  determined 
by  the  products  of  digestion  formed  in  the  stomach  as  the 
result  of  the  action  of  its  predecessor,  the  appetite  juice.  This 
chemical  juice,  which  finishes  the  digestion  of  the  meal,  is 
probably  secreted  under  the  influence  of  the  chemical  stimu- 
lation of  the  half -digested  food  as  it  comes  in  contact  with 
the  walls  of  the  stomach.  It  would  therefore  appear,  if  one 
had  a  good  appetite  and  in  consequence  secreted  a  strong  ap- 
petite juice  during  the  first  hour  of  digestion,  that  this  would 
insure  the  subsequent  secretion  of  a  competent  chemical  juice 
to  finish  the  digestion  of  the  meal  properly  and  satisfactorily. 

Many  of  these  facts  concerning  digestion  were  discovered 
by  Pawlow  by  means  of  an  ingenious  surgical  operation  which 
he  performed  upon  dogs  for  the  purpose  of  creating  a  "  sample 


i66      THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

stomach,"  separate  and  distinct  from  the  main  stomach  and 
about  one-eighth  its  size.  (See 'Fig.  22.)  This  smaller  stomach 
he  created  out  of  a  portion  of  the  wall  of  the  stomach  itself. 
Its  opening  was  outside  of  the  body,  so  that  he  was  able  at  all 
times  to  collect  from  it  a  sample  of  the  secretions  formed  in 
the  larger  stomach.  He  also  made  an  opening  into  the  gullets 
(oesophagi)  of  some  of  the  dogs,  so  that  when  they  were  fed, 
the  food  would  fall  into  a  basin  instead  of  entering  the  stomach. 
This  process,  already  referred  to,  is  called  "sham  feeding" 
and  it  was  found  to  produce  very  strong  gastric  juice  even  when 
no  food  at  all  entered  the  stomach. 

Pawlow,  at  the  end  of  his  very  painstaking  investigations, 
announced  as  his  general  conclusion  that  "  appetite  equals  juice  " 
and  therefore,  since  good  gastric  juice  means  good  digestion, 
we  may  very  appropriately  add,  good  appetite  equals  good 
digestion,  all  other  things  equal. 

Fear,  fright,  worry,  and  disappointment  cause  an  almost 
instantaneous  suspension  of  the  stomach's  secretions.  When 
the  mind  is  in  the  least  disturbed,  the  flow  of  gastric  juice  is 
altered.  Anger,  as  a  rule,  absolutely  suspends  the  secretory 
activities  of  the  stomach. 

STOMACH    MUSCULAR   MOVEMENT 

Recent  X-ray  observations  of  the  action  of  the  stomach  dur- 
ing the  digestion  of  a  meal,  serve  to  demonstrate  the  wonderful 
influence  of  the  mind  over  the  muscular  movements  of  the 
digestive  apparatus.  While  faith  —  the  natural  and  normal 
mental  state  —  favors  strong  and  regular  action  of  the  stomach 
muscle,  fear  and  its  psychic  companions  almost  invariably 
weaken  the  muscular  contractions  of  the  stomach  and  retard 
its  digestive  activity.  To  pull  a  cat's  tail  during  the  process 
of  digestion  just  following  a  meal,  is  sometimes  sufficient  to 
stop  entirely  —  completely  paralyze  —  the  muscular  contractions 
of  the  stomach  and  intestines.  This  inaction  may  persist  from 
a  few  minutes  to  almost  half  an  hour. 

In  view  of  these  scientific  experiments  respecting  the  mental 
influences  which  are  able  to  hasten  and  retard  the  digestive 
activity  and  muscular  work  of  the  stomach,  it  should  cause 
little  surprise  that  so  many  downcast,  complaining,  and  sordid 


MENTAL  INFLUENCES  ON  DIGESTION         167 

people  are  continuous  sufferers  from  some  form  of  digestive 
disturbance.  Mental  vigor  and  moral  determination  favor  nor- 
mal stomach  action  and  digestive  strength. 

X-ray  observations  on  animals  that  have  had  bismuth  added 
to  their  food  indicate  that  the  muscular  movements  of  digestion 
proceed  in  perfect  harmony  with  the  temperamental  humor  of 
the  animal ;  strong  and  vigorous  when  the  animal  is  in  a  good 
state  of  mind,  weak  or  entirely  suspended  when  the  animal  is 
in  a  bad  humor. 

SLOW  DIGESTION 

There  can  no  longer  be  any  doubt  that  many  cases  of  slow 
digestion  and  sluggish  stomach  work  are  in  some  measure,  at 
least,  due  to  the  unfortunate  mental  and  nervous  states  of  the 
sufferer.  If  the  mind  can  be  awakened  and  the  spirits  revived, 
such  patients  will  immediately  begin  to  show  improvement,  and 
many  will  pass  on  to  full  recovery. 

One  of  Pawlow's  dogs,  when  his  temper  was  ruffled,  produced 
absolutely  no  gastric  juice,  while  the  latest  experiments  of  this 
extraordinary  investigator  go  to  show  that  even  music  is  able 
to  influence  the  digestive  secretions.  By  means  of  diversified 
musical  sounds  it  is  said  that  Pawlow  has  actually  been  able  to 
stimulate  or  retard  the  flow  of  the  saliva. 

There  is  one  important  thing  connected  with  the  action  of  the 
digestive  ferments  or  enzymes  that  should  not  be  overlooked. 
If  the  products  of  digestion  are  allowed  to  accumulate,  the 
action  of  the  enzyme  (pepsin)  is  interfered  with.  If  this  failure 
to  remove  the  products  of  digestion  persists,  the  digestive  en- 
zyme begins  what  is  known  as  its  "reverse  action,"  a  process  in 
which  it  actually  undoes  its  previous  work  of  digestion  —  takes 
the  soluble  products  of  its  own  action  and  literally  builds  them 
back  into  the  insoluble  substances  of  the  food.  This  may  afford 
some  explanation  of  the  poor  nutrition  of  people  who  habitu- 
ally suffer  from  dyspepsia,  slow  digestion,  and  weakness  of  the 
stomach  muscle. 

DIGESTION     WORRY  —  NERVOUS    DYSPEPSIA 

Fear  exercises  an  influence  of  general  depression  over  the 
entire  process  of  digestion,  including  stomach  and  bowels. 
Fear  and  fright  are  able,  temporarily,  to  paralyze  the  secretory 
functions  and  muscular  activities  of  both  stomach  and  intestines. 


i68       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

We  have  known  scores  of  patients  who  had  been  told  they 
had  a  dilated  stomach,  straightway  to  contract  a  severe  and 
troublesome  case  of  dyspepsia;  whereas,  their  stomachs  had 
been  doing  fairly  satisfactory  work  up  to  the  time  of  the  un- 
fortunate blunder  of  telling  them  this  organ  was  enormously 
overstretched. 

The  more  some  of  these  stomach  cases  think  of  their  in- 
firmity and  the  more  they  treat  and  coddle  their  supposed  weak, 
dilated,  and  helpless  stomachs,  the  worse  their  dyspepsia  and 
indigestion  become;  whereas,  a  little  sensible  dieting,  coupled 
with  a  period  of  absolute  indifference  and  inattention  to  the 
whole  process  of  digestion,  would,  in  the  vast  majority  of  cases, 
be  followed  by  a  speedy  and  more  or  less  permanent  functional 
recovery.  Why  worry  over  your  stomach,  even  if  it  is  a  trifle 
dilated,  overstretched,  or  prolapsed,  as  long  as  it  performs  its 
functions  properly  and  satisfactorily  ? 

Years  ago  —  owing  purely  to  superstition  and  fear  —  water- 
melons were  supposed  to  cause  numerous  digestive  and  bowel 
disorders.  With  the  passing  of  such  erroneous  beliefs,  the 
harmfulness  of  watermelon  as  an  article  of  diet  also  passed. 
It  is  interesting  to  note  that  even  when  melons  were  in  their 
worst  repute  they  never  made  the  small  boys  sick  who  hooked 
them  under  cover  of  darkness  and  gorged  themselves  to  the 
limit  on  their  stolen  booty.  The  boys  had  faith  in  the  melons  — 
at  least  they  did  not  fear  them  —  they  only  feared  getting 
caught,  and  so  the  melons  never  did  them  serious  hurt.  And  so 
tomatoes,  cucumbers,  and  various  other  articles  of  diet  have 
been  regarded  as  poisonous  or  injurious  from  time  to  time,  and 
have  disagreed  with  the  people  in  perfect  harmony  with  their 
beliefs. 

The  American  people  to-day  not  only  suffer  as  a  result  of 
their  bona  fide  dietetic  sins,  but  they  also  languish  because  of 
the  vast  amount  of  indigestion  and  dyspepsia  which  has  no 
existence  outside  of  the  minds  of  its  victims.  But  as  long  as 
the  dyspepsia  remains  in  the  mind  just  so  long  will  the  stomach 
continue  to  misbehave  in  sympathetic  response  to  the  mental 
state. 


MENTAL  INFLUENCES  ON  DIGESTION         169 

THE   VOMITING    CENTRE 

That  the  mental  state  can  influence  the  vomiting  centre  and 
produce  violent  action  of  the  stomach,  has  long  been  known. 
A  physician  gave  one  hundred  patients  in  a  certain  hospital  a 
little  colored  water  and  then  rushed  in  and  dramatically  an- 
nounced that  he  had  given  them  a  strong  emetic  by  mistake. 
This  suggestion  was  sufficient  to  cause  eighty  of  them  at  once 
to  sicken  at  the  stomach  and  a  large  number  actually  to  vomit. 
A  young  woman  who  was  afflicted  with  obstinate  and  hysterical 
vomiting,  and  whose  case  the  physician  had  not  been  able  to  re- 
lieve, was  instantly  and  permanently  cured  on  being  told  that 
her  wedding-day  must  be  postponed  until  she  had  recovered. 

The  author  once  gave  sugar  of  milk  and  flour  to  five  patients, 
who  were  led  to  believe  that  it  was  an  emetic  and  that  we 
were  desirous  of  causing  them  to  vomit.  Within  ten  minutes 
two  out  of  the  five  had  vomited. 

MENTAL    INFLUENCE    AND    INTESTINAL    ACTION 

Next  to  the  stomach,  the  mind  is  found  to  possess  more  regu- 
latory control  over  the  bowels  than  over  any  other  of  the 
organs  of  digestion. 

Quantity.  The  buoyant  and  energetic  mental  state  favors 
secretory  activity  of  the  intestinal  glands  by  promoting  the 
circulation  and  preventing  congestion,  as  well  as  by  nervous 
influences  acting  through  the  sympathetic  system,  which  so 
largely  control  all  intestinal  work.  The  downcast  and  inactive 
mind  is  almost  invariably  accompanied  by  more  or  less  inac- 
tivity of  the  bowel  —  constipation.  There  can  be  little  doubt 
that  mental  constipation  (sluggish  and  despondent  action  of  the 
mind)  in  some  way  predisposes  to  intestinal  inaction. 

Quality.  While  the  normal  state  of  the  nerves  favors  the 
production  of  a  good  quality  of  the  intestinal  digestive  fluids,  a 
deranged  nervous  system  is  sure  to  result  in  the  production  of 
an  inferior  and  more  or  less  inactive  secretion. 

The  flow.  The  flow  of  the  secretions  formed  in  the  intes- 
tinal glands  is  regular  and  natural  when  the  mind  is  free  from 
fear  and  worry.  When  the  mind  is  occupied  with  distressing 
and  oppressive  thoughts,  the  flow  of  the  intestinal  fluids  be- 
comes spasmodic  and  may  even  be  entirely  suppressed. 


170       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

Peristalsis.  When  the  circulation  of  the  bowel  is  normal 
and  the  mind  is  dominated  by  faith  and  good  cheer,  the  muscu- 
lar movements  of  the  intestine  are  rhythmic,  regular,  and 
strong.  When  the  feelings  are  ruffled  or  the  temper  aroused, 
the  muscular  action  of  the  bowels  becomes  irregular  and  weak 
—  it  may  even  be  entirely  suspended  for  a  considerable  length 
of  time  by  disturbed  mental  states. 

Great  and  sudden  fear  may  overstimulate  intestinal  peris- 
talsis and  actually  produce  diarrhoea.  Unusual  fright  may  also 
inhibit  the  voluntary  control  over  the  sphincter  muscle  of  the 
rectum.  This  condition  of  affairs  is  brought  about  by  the  power 
of  fear  and  terror  to  inhibit  the  nerve  centres  in  the  lumbar 
region  of  the  spine  which  enable  one  to  exercise  volun- 
tary control  over  the  sphincter  muscles  of  the  bladder  and  the 
bowel. 

A  lady  who  received  news  of  the  death  of  a  relative  from 
cholera  in  a  distant  country  was  so  frightened  that  she  suffered 
for  eight  days  from  severe  diarrhoea,  and  only  recovered  after 
being  convinced  that  there  was  not  a  single  case  of  cholera 
within  hundreds  of  miles.  Darwin  mentions  a  similar  case,  that 
of  a  man  who  could  so  far  increase  the  peristaltic  action  of  his 
bowels  by  voluntary  effort,  that  he  could  defecate  at  any  time 
in  half  an  hour.  Many  instances  are  on  record  of  those  who 
could  by  an  act  of  will  induce  vomiting. 

Constipation.  Many  despondent  and  discouraged  persons 
suffer  constantly  from  chronic  constipation.  This  deficient 
functionating  of  the  bowel  is  not  alone  due  to  circulatory  dis- 
turbances—  it  is  also  the  result  of  nervous  derangement. 
There  are  found  in  the  intestinal  walls  certain  minute  plexuses 
of  nerves  which  have  to  do  with  peristalsis.  These  little  nerve 
centres  are  directly  connected  with  the  great  centres  of  the 
sympathetic  system,  and  indirectly  with  the  central  nervous 
system,  so  that  mental  depression  can  react  at  once  to  the  pro- 
duction of  intestinal  depression;  and  this  is  exactly  what 
happens  in  nearly  all  cases  where  the  mental  state  is  continu- 
ously downcast  and  grieving. 

Numerous  cases  are  on  record  which  abundantly  demon- 
strate the  large  degree  to  which  the  mind  is  able  to  influence 


MENTAL  INFLUENCES  ON  DIGESTION 


171 


and  control  bowel  action.  In  one  case  opium  pills  were  given 
by  mistake  to  a  patient  who  was  to  have  received  a  cathartic 
preparatory  to  a  surgical  operation.  They  produced  a  prompt 
and  complete  evacuation  of  the  bowels.  The  patient  believed 
she  had  swallowed  a  powerful  cathartic  and  the  bowels  acted 
accordingly.  We  once  had  a  patient  whose  bowels  moved 
freely  several  hours  after  a  cathartic  was  prescribed  for  her, 
although  subsequent  investigation  revealed  the  fact  that  she 
had  forgotten  to  take  the  medicine ;  but  as  she  also  forgot  that 
she  forgot,  it  worked  just  the  same. 

We  have  seen  numerous  cases  of  chronic  constipation  prac- 
tically or  wholly  relieved  by  a  change  in  mental  attitude  coupled 
with  systematic  or  habit  training  of  the  bowel  —  going  to  stool 
at  certain  stated  and  regular  intervals.  Chronic  fear  never 
fails  to  produce  sluggish  and  incomplete  intestinal  movements. 
In  the  case  of  a  whining  cat.  X-ray  observations  showed  that 
no  intestinal  action  took  place  for  over  one  hour. 

The  mind  undoubtedly  influences  bowel  action  by  cortical  in- 
hibition of  the  centres  of  the  great  splanchnic  nerves,  whose 
origin  is  located  in  the  medulla.  In  the  case  of  sudden  loose- 
ness of  the  bowels  following  acute  fright  or  profound  anger, 
the  diarrhoea  is  probably  produced  by  the  nervous  inhibition  of 
intestinal  absorption;  the  bowel  contents  remain  fluid  and  are 
thrown  out  in  great  quantities,  for  the  simple  reason  that 
assimilation  and  absorption  are  temporarily  suspended. 

Comparative  Summary  of  the  Effects  of  Faith  and  Fear 
ON  Digestion 


FAITH 

1.  Gastric  secretion:  Expect- 
ant hunger  produces  abun- 
dant flow. 

2.  Quality:  Increased.  Nor- 
mally balanced  juice. 

3.  Digestive  strength:  Excel- 
lent. "  Holiday  digestion  " 
always  good. 

4.  Psychic  dyspepsia:  Entirely 
cured. 


FEAR 

Gastric  secretion:  Lessens 
or  entirely  suspends  secre- 
tion. 

Quality:  Deteriorated.  Al- 
ters proportion  and  strength. 
Digestive  strength:  Weak. 
"  Quick  lunch "  dyspepsia 
common. 

Psychic  dyspepsia:  Produces 
and  aggravates. 


172       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 


FAITH 

5.  "Appetite  juice":  Promotes 
generous  flow  in  connection 
with  hunger, 

6.  Stomach  movements:  Strong 
and  regular.  Normal  diges- 
tion. 

7.  Digestion   time:      Shortened. 

8.  Nervous  dyspepsia:  Relieves 
and  removes. 

9.  Vomiting  centre:  Quiets 
and  controls. 

10.  Intestinal  secretion:  In- 
creases quantity.     Copious. 

11.  Quality:     Strong  and  active. 

12.  Flow:     Regular. 

13.  Peristalsis:  Intestinal  move- 
ments  regular    and   normal. 

14.  Constipation:    Decreased. 


FEAR 

5.  "Appetite  juice":  Decreases 
and  retards,  as  in  "  bad 
news  "  indigestion. 

6.  Stomach  movements:  Weak. 
Favors  slow  digestion. 

7.  Digestion  time:    Lengthened. 

8.  Nervous  dyspepsia:  Chief 
cause. 

9.  Vomiting    centre:     Excites. 

10.  Intestinal     secretion:       De- 
creases quantity.     Scant. 

11.  Quality:  Weak  and  inac- 
tive. 

12.  Flow:     Spasmodic. 

13.  Peristalsis:  Intestinal  move- 
ments irregular  and  sluggish. 

14.  Constipation:      Increased. 


CHAPTER    XVII 

THE   PSYCHIC   FACTOR   IN    NUTRITION    AND 
METABOLISM 

The  nutrition  of  the  cell. —  Digestion  and  nutrition. — 
The  process  of  assimilation. —  Oxidation  in  the  cell. — 
The  appetite  in  nutrition. —  The  bodily  weight. —  The 
physical  well-being. —  The  ductless  glands. —  The  thy- 
roid GLAND. —  The  suprarenal  bodies. — The  pituitary 
BODY. —  Comparative  summary  of  the  effects  of  faith  and 

FEAR  ON  the  NUTRITION  AND   METABOLISM. 

IT  is  not  possible  so  precisely  to  trace  the  details  of  the  mental 
factors  in  their  influence  on  nutrition  and  metabolism,  as  in 
the  case  of  the  circulatory  system  and  the  digestive  work  of 
the  Stomach;  nevertheless,  the  clinical  evidence  is  so  abundant, 
and  striking  illustrations  are  so  frequent,  that  there  is  left  but 
little  question  in  the  minds  of  careful  observers  respecting  the 
profound  influence  exerted  by  the  mind  upon  the  nutritional 
processes  of  the  human  body. 

THE    NUTRITION    OF    THE    CELL 

Disease  is  now  generally  recognized  to  be  either  a  derange- 
ment of  the  functions  of  the  cell,  or  a  degeneration  of  the 
substance  of  the  cell.  The  health  of  every  person  is  entirely 
dependent  upon  the  health  of  one  and  all  of  the  countless  thou- 
sands of  cells  that  compose  the  physical  body.  If  the  mind  is 
indeed  able  to  influence  the  nutrition  of  the  cell,  it  must  be 
evident  that  it  is  able  to  influence  and  more  or  less  control  the 
entire  nutrition  and  metabolism  of  the  whole  body. 

A  study  of  the  facts  presented  in  Chapter  II  will  suffice  to 
show  that  the  mind  does  in  a  large  manner  influence  and  regu- 
late the  nutrition  of  the  cells.  The  individual  cells  of  the  body 
are  influenced  by  the  mind  in  two  entirely  different  ways.  First, 
by  means  of  chemical  messengers  or  hormones  which  circulate 
in  the  blood  and  lymph,  and  thus  come  in  actual  contact  with 

173 


174       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

the  remotest  cells  of  the  body.  The  mind  and  nervous  system 
have  the  power  largely  to  control,  regulate,  and  modify  the 
cellular  and  glandular  secretions  of  the  entire  body,  and  are  thus 
able,  indirectly,  to  control  the  nutrition,  growth,  and  life-history 
of  all  the  body  cells.  It  is  a  recognized  physiological  fact  that 
the  numerous  special  secretions,  which  are  so  highly  subject  to 
nervous  control,  are  all  more  or  less  concerned  in  the  intricate 
work  of  regulating  and  modifying  the  nutrition  of  the  individual 
cells. 

In  the  second  place,  the  mind  is  able  to  influence  the  nutrition 
and  health  of  the  body  cells  by  the  specific  impulses  —  the 
mental  messages  —  which  are  sent  directly  over  the  nerve  tracts 
to  the  cell  substance.  All  the  cells  of  the  body,  with  the  possible 
exception  of  the  blood  cells  and  those  of  the  outer  layer  of  the 
skin  or  epidermis,*  are  in  actual  contact  with  some  minute  fila- 
ment of  some  nerve  process.  It  actually  is  true  that  practically 
every  active  cell,  however  remote  from  the  great  nerve  centres, 
has  an  independent  private  line,  a  living  telegraph  wire,  di- 
rectly connected  with  one  of  the  great  nerve  centres  of  the 
body,  which  centres  are  in  turn  connected,  directly  or  indirectly, 
with  that  great  telegraph  centre  of  the  organism,  the  brain. 
And  the  brain  is  the  seat  —  the  organ  —  of  mind. 

The  cheerful,  joyous  livers  of  the  faith  life  are  bound  to 
enjoy  better  nutrition  than  the  downcast  and  despondent  victims 
of  the  fear  life.  Worry  not  only  debilitates  the  mind,  but  it 
also  emaciates  the  body.  Grief  and  cankering  care  invariably 
operate  to  bring  about  a  condition  of  moral  vacillation  and 
physical  weakness.  Special  worry,  unusual  sorrow,  and  pro- 
tracted grief,  never  fail  to  pull  down  one's  vitality.  And  so, 
by  interfering  with  the  nutrition  of  the  cell,  these  depressive 
mental  states  interfere  with  the  health  and  nutrition  of  the 
whole  man. 

Just  at  present  we  have  under  our  care  a  patient  who  recently 


*These  cells  —  red  blood  corpuscles  and  epidermis  cells  —  are 
strangely  modified.  They  differ  from  all  other  cells  of  the  body. 
The  blood  corpuscles  have  no  nuclei,  while  the  epidermis  consists 
of  dead  cells.  The  fat  cells,  formed  from  modified  connective 
tissue  cells,  also  belong  to  that  class  of  body  cells  which  probably 
do  not  receive  actual  nerve  filaments. 


NUTRITION  AND  METABOLISM  175 

lost  her  husband  by  means  of  a  very  unusual  and  unfortunate 
accident.  Her  grief,  of  course,  is  likewise  very  deep  and  un- 
usual. This  woman,  before  her  bereavement,  was  the  picture  of 
health  —  strong,  robust,  and  splendidly  nourished.  After  the 
loss  of  her  husband  she  began  gradually  to  lose  in  flesh  —  her 
weight  decreased  to  the  point  where  her  friends  led  her  to  seek 
medical  advice.  Her  sorrow  and  her  downcast  mental  state 
continue,  and  so  far  we  have  utterly  failed  to  stay  the  march 
of  that  slow  but  sure  wasting  away  which  threatens  her  very 
life.  No  amount  of  special  feeding  or  even  forced  feeding, 
suffices  to  produce  a  gain  in  weight.  The  most  highly  nutritious 
and  specially  prepared  foods  are  not  able  to  overcome  the  subtle 
influences  which  unceasingly  operate  to  demoralize  the  nutrition 
and  emaciate  the  patient.  Medicine,  baths,  and  scientific  feed- 
ing have  thus  far  failed  to  stay  the  devouring  hand  of  incessant 
grief  or  to  overcome  the  destroying  power  of  corroding  sorrow. 
This  unfortunate  sufferer  is  doomed  to  fill  an  untimely  grave, 
unless  some  power,  some  religious  consolation,  some  psychic 
influence,  all  of  which  she  has  thus  far  refused,  comes  in  to 
change  the  mental  outlook  and  thus  relieve  the  physical  organ- 
ism from  the  nervous  inhibition  and  chemical  handicap  under 
which  the  body  is  struggling  on  toward  sure  defeat  and  inevi- 
table death.  For  it  must  be  recognized  that  continual  fear  and 
grief  —  protracted  sorrow  —  do  positively  interfere  with,  and 
otherwise  prevent,  the  nutritional  processes  of  the  individual 
cells  of  the  body.  Cases  such  as  the  foregoing  are  of  common 
occurrence;  and  the  progressive  loss  in  weight  and  decrease 
in  strength  are  not  alone  due  to  poor  appetite,  deficient  nourish- 
ment, and  crippled  assimilation. 

DIGESTION   AND  NUTRITION 

Faith  encourages  the  entire  digestive  process,  while  fear  de- 
ranges and  retards  the  digestive  functions  at  every  point.  One 
of  the  first  steps  in  the  great  process  of  metabolism  is  digestion ; 
and  since  the  mind  is  able  most  markedly  to  control  the  diges- 
tion, it  becomes  very  evident  that  the  mental  factor  in 
metabolism  must  be  large  and  powerful. 

He  that  is  despondent  is  sooner  or  later  overtaken  with  con- 
stipation and  indigestion;   and  one  does  not  long  endure  the 


lye      THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  'AND  FEAR 

tortures  and  terrors  of  dyspepsia  without  discovering  the  fact 
that  the  nutrition  of  the  entire  body  has  become  deranged.  The 
vital  resistance  and  physical  strength  are  speedily  deteriorated, 
and  the  patient  passes  into  a  state  of  general  debility  and  dis- 
ordered metabolism.  In  many  cases  this  semi-invalidism  is 
largely,  if  not  wholly,  the  result  of  an  abnormal  nervous  state, 
which  owes  its  existence  to  the  fact  that  the  mind  is  dominated 
by  fear.  In  all  such  cases  the  powers  of  assimilation  seem  to  be 
more  or  less  crippled. 

Every  year  we  observe  several  victims  of  malnutrition, 
chronic  dyspepsia,  and  we  may  truthfully  add,  chronic  fear, 
who  take  up  some  psychic  fad,  some  newfangled  religion,  or 
perchance,  adopt  one  of  the  old-fashioned  creeds  with  a  whole- 
souled  enthusiasm;  and,  as  a  result  of  this  change  in  mental 
habit,  we  behold  an  immediate  and  marvellous  transformation. 
Not  only  are  the  mental  and  moral  habits  entirely  changed,  but 
this  psychic,  spiritual,  or  moral  revolution  —  call  it  what  you 
will  —  has  actually  extended  to  the  physical  domain,  the  health 
of  the  material  body  is  positively  improved.  Of  course,  each  of 
these  special  religions  avers  that  this  physical  improvement  is 
either  providential  or  miraculous,  and  that  it  constitutes  divine 
credentials,  proving  that  this  religion's  adherents  are  the  only 
genuine  people  of  God  on  the  earth. 

We  would  not  for  one  moment  either  question  or  deny  the 
power  of  the  Supreme  Being  to  administer  life  and  health,  but 
we  are  compelled  to  recognize  that  any  and  all  brands  of  relig- 
ious faith  and  shades  of  ethical  .teaching  are  alike  able  to  point 
to  a  long  list  of  just  such  remarkable  and  undoubted  cures. 
History  reveals  that  in  all  ages  men  and  women  have  been  thus 
helped  and  healed,  regardless  of  time,  place,  and  the  orthodoxy 
of  their  religious  views.  The  only  conclusion  which  a  scientific 
and  unprejudiced  observer  can  draw  is  that  the  vast  majority  of 
these  cases  of  diversified  healing  are  due  to  the  radical  change 
of  mind  on  the  part  of  the  afflicted  soul.  Faith  comes  in  to 
depose  fear,  and  instantly  the  recovery  begins. 

THE    PROCESS    OF    ASSIMILATION 

Digestion  is  but  the  first  step  in  the  preparation  of  the  food 
for  the   nourishment  of  the  body.     Assimilation  is  the  next 


NUTRITION  AND  METABOLISM  177 

important  act  in  the  conversion  of  the  food  into  the  living  tis- 
sues. Fear  is  able,  temporarily,  almost  to  paralyze  the  process 
of  assimilation,  while  chronic  worry  more  or  less  permanently 
deranges  the  absorptive  powers  of  the  whole  digestive  system. 
By  greatly  delaying  and  interfering  with  the  normal  action  of 
the  digestive  organs,  the  mental  state  may  not  only  interfere 
with  the  assimilation  of  the  food,  but  may  indirectly  bring  about 
such  a  state  of  fermentation  and  putrefaction  in  the  intestine,  as 
actually  to  produce  enormous  quantities  of  poisonous  toxins, 
which  are,  in  time,  absorbed  along  with  the  products  of  digestion 
and  pass  into  the  blood,  subsequently  to  poison  and  derange  the 
nutrition  of  countless  thousands  of  faithful  working  cells  of  the 
body. 

Both  laboratory  experiments  and  common,  everyday  observa- 
tion, abundantly  demonstrate  the  fact  that  faith  encourages  the 
assimilative  powers  of  the  body ;  while  fear  retards,  delays,  and 
even  temporarily  inhibits  the  process  of  assimilation. 

We  knew  of  a  young  woman  who  had  long  feared  that  she 
would  fail  to  win  the  affection  of  a  certain  young  man  of  whom 
she  was  passionately  fond.  She  greatly  feared  that  her  ardent 
love  would  never  be  returned.  She  began  progressively  to  lose 
flesh.  Her  nutrition  rapidly  failed.  It  was  evident  that  her 
metabolism  was  badly  out  of  order.  The  change  in  her  counte- 
nance, and  her  loss  of  color,  agility,  and  sociability  testified  to 
the  fact  that  her  mental  attitude  was  disastrously  affecting  her 
physical  health.  Various  physicians  tried  various  remedies, 
while  interested  friends  recommended  everything  from  osteop- 
athy to  Christian  Science.  Nearly  all  of  these  the  girl  at  one 
time  or  another  tried,  but  all  failed  to  restore  her  bloom  of 
health  and  buoyancy  of  step. 

At  last  the  royal  remedy  for  her  mysterious  wasting  disease, 
which  had  so  successfully  resisted  all  scientific  skill  and  baffled 
all  medical  knowledge,  was  unexpectedly  found.  The  young 
swain  of  her  choice  began  to  reciprocate  her  affection,  he  pro- 
fessed actual  love  for  her,  and  shortly  he  proposed.  Enough 
said ;  the  young  patient  ceased  to  pine  away ;  she  began  rapidly 
to  put  on  flesh;  the  bloom  of  health  returned  to  her  cheeks; 
she  quickly  returned  to  the  happy,  joyous,  and  vivacious  life  of 


1^8       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

former  days:  the  mind  had  gained  its  coveted  prize,  the  soul 
had  satisfied  its  longing,  and  now  the  body  was  released  from 
its  terrible  burden  of  fear  and  suspense;  the  mind  was  now 
filled  with  faith  and  hope,  and  their  beneficent  influence  on  the 
material  body  was  manifested  in  a  remarkable  restoration  of 
the  physical  health. 

OXIDATION    IN    THE    CELL 

Even  after  food  is  properly  digested  and  completely  assimi- 
lated, it  is  absolutely  useless  to  the  body  unless  it  is  oxidized. 
The  oxidation  of  food  represents  the  last  step  in  the  process  of 
digestion,  and  is  effected  by  means  of  a  digestive  ferment  or 
enzyme,  called  oxidase,  which  is  secreted  by  the  cells  of  the  body, 
and  by  which  the  cells  are  able  actually  to  burn  up  the  digested 
food  substances  brought  to  them  in  the  blood  stream. 

Faith  and  fear  are  able  to  influence  the  process  of  oxidation 
in  a  number  of  w  ays.  As  will  be  shown  later,  faith  increases  the 
depth  of  the  breathing  and  thereby  favors  an  abundant  supply 
of  oxygen,  which  can  be  taken  up  by  the  red  blood  cells  in  the 
lungs  and  carried  to  the  remotest  cell  of  the  body.  While  the 
action  of  the  lungs  during  fright  and  excitement  proves  that 
fear  produces  superficial  and  shallow  breathing,  faith,  by  favor- 
ing the  respiration  and  the  circulation,  increases  oxidation 
within  the  cells.  Increased  blood  movement  together  with  deep 
breathing  increases  the  amount  of  digested  food  materials 
brought  to  the  cell  and  also  increases  the  number  of  red  blood 
cells  —  the  little  fellows  who  carry  the  oxygen  around  to  the 
individual  cells  —  and  thus  oxidation  is  accelerated,  the  vital 
fires  burn  more  brightly  and  evenly,  for  without  oxygen,  the 
living  fires  of  the  cell  are  soon  smothered  and  extinguished. 
Thousands  of  people  are  but  half  alive,  but  half  efficient,  be- 
cause they  are  but  half  breathers;  their  vital  fires  are  half 
smothered  all  the  time. 

A  disordered  state  of  the  mind  seems  actually  to  be  able  to 
interfere  with  the  process  of  oxidation  on  the  part  of  the  cell. 
That  this  is  true  is  convincingly  shown  by  carefully  observing 
diabetic  patients.  Diabetes  is  not  primarily  a  disease  of  the 
kidneys.  While  the  pancreatic  gland  is  undoubtedly  concerned 
in  this  disease,  the  chief  difficulty  seems  to  be  a  chronic  inability 


NUTRITION  AND  METABOLISM 


179 


on  the  part  of  the  cells  of  the  body  to  oxidize  sugar  —  one  of 
the  important  elements  of  cellular  nutrition.  Now,  it  is  ob- 
served that  fear,  worry,  and  mental  strain,  in  the  vast  majority 
of  diabetics,  serve  greatly  to  increase  the  amount  of  sugar  in 
the  urine.  By  improving  the  mental  state  and  allowing  faith 
to  dominate  the  mind,  the  percentage  of  sugar  is  more  or  less 
decreased  in  almost  every  case ;  and  this  interesting  observation 
would  suggest  that  the  mental  state  does  actually  have  some 
influence  and  control  over  the  oxidizing  process  carried  forward 
in  the  body  cells. 

It  is  not  enough  to  suppose  that  oxidation  is  increased  or 
decreased  merely  by  increasing  or  decreasing  the  efficiency  of 
the  digestive  and  circulatory  systems,  in  connection  with  im- 
provement in  the  respiratory  function.  While  these  vital  func- 
tions are  all  indirectly  concerned  in  the  regulation  and 
modification  of  cellular  oxidation,  the  fact  seems  to  be  clearly 
demonstrated  that  the  mind,  by  its  direct  action  over  and  through 
the  nervous  system,  is  able,  in  a  very  large  degree,  to  regulate 
and  control  the  final  step  of  digestion  in  the  body  —  the  process 
of  cell-oxidation. 

THE  APPETITE  IN  NUTRITION 

In  the  chapter  on  secretion,  the  facts  were  presented  which  go 
to  show  that  the  appetite  is  in  a  large  measure  the  regulator  of 
metabolism.  The  appetite  controls  and  determines  the  strength 
of  the  digestive  juices  of  the  stomach;  the  appetite  dictates  the 
quantity  and  quality  of  the  food  eaten;  and  it  is  a  well-known 
fact  that  the  appetite  is  in  a  very  large  measure  under  psychic 
control.  Who  has  not  seen  the  invalid,  void  of  appetite, 
brighten  up  and  actually  begin  to  eat  and  relish  food  on  a 
daintily  served  tray  ?  On  the  other  hand,  but  in  contrast  with 
this  salutary  effect  of  faith  upon  the  appetite,  note  the  disastrous 
effect  upon  the  patient's  appetite  when  the  food  is  improperly 
prepared  or  unacceptably  served. 

It  only  requires  that  one  should  review  the  vast  influence  ex- 
erted by  the  mind  upon  digestion,  as  previously  noted,  to  be 
able  to  reach  the  conclusion  that  the  mental  factor  is  excep- 
tionally strong  in  nutrition  and  metabolism.  How  can  we 
satisfactorily  explain  the  great  benefit  which  dyspeptics  and 


i8o      THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

other  metabolic  invalids  derive  from  a  trip  to  the  seashore,  a 
sojourn  in  some  sanitarium,  or  an  ocean  voyage  ? 

We  have  seen  a  chronic  sufferer  from  malnutrition  and  dis- 
ordered metabolism  of  long  standing  permanently  cured  by  a 
trip  around  the  world.  A  certain  wealthy,  self-centred  woman, 
who  had  endless  trouble  with  her  assimilation,  lost  her  husband, 
fortune,  and  all,  went  to  work  in  a  store  as  a  saleslady,  forgot 
her  troubles,  abandoned  her  indolent  life,  and  fully  recovered 
from  all  her  nutritional  difficulties.  She  said :  "  I'd  rather  be 
poor,  work  hard,  and  be  healthy,  than  be  rich,  idle,  and  sick." 

Again,  if  we  fail  to  take  into  account  the  mental  factor  in 
metabolism,  how  can  we  explain  the  sudden  and  immediate 
improvement  in  digestive  power  and  general  nutrition  experi- 
enced .  by  so  many  people  while  on  their  annual  vacation, 
holidays,  and  excursions  ?  In  many  cases,  the  hygienic  prac- 
tices and  sanitary  surroundings  of  the  pleasure-seeker  are 
inferior  to  the  health-promoting  environment  of  the  home  life ; 
but  notwithstanding  these  numerous  drawbacks,  the  health 
quickly  improves,  provided  the  change  of  scenery  and  sur- 
roundings is  able  to  improve  the  mental  state.  .The  average 
man  on  vacation  cheers  up,  forgets  his  troubles;  and  since  the 
mind  is  dominated  by  faith,  the  body  begins  at  once  to  perform 
all  its  functions  more  naturally,  normally,  and  vigorously. 

THE  BODILY  WEIGHT 

Faith  by  its  power  to  promote  appetite,  digestion,  assimilation, 
and  nutrition,  encourages  the  natural  and  normal  metabolism 
of  the  body,  and  in  many  cases,  an  improvement  of  the  mental 
state  results  in  actually  increasing  the  bodily  weight.  On  the 
other  hand,  fear  is  commonly  observed  to  decrease  a  person's 
weight.  How  often  we  see  grief  and  worry  slowly  but  surely 
mar  the  physical  beauty  and  decrease  the  bodily  weight !  The 
victims  of  grief  and  sorrow  are  sometimes  reduced  to  the  state 
of  walking  skeletons. 

The  author  would  not  advocate  fear  and  anxiety  as  anti-fat 
remedial  specifics.  The  remedy  in  such  a  case  bids  fair  to  be 
worse  than  the  disease;  but  we  can  heartily  recommend  cheer- 
fulness as  an  aid  in  improving  the  personal  appearance  and 
promoting  the  nutrition  of  the  physical  body. 


NUTRITION  AND  METABOLISM  i8i 

A  few  years  ago  a  sullen,  morose,  and  dyspeptic  maiden  lady 
frequently  came  to  our  clinic,  complaining  first  of  one  difficulty, 
then  of  another.  We  were  able  to  render  her  but  little  assist- 
ance in  the  direction  of  permanent  help.  We  had  not  seen  her 
for  a  couple  of  years,  when  one  day  she  came  back,  bring- 
ing a  friend  suffering  from  a  painful  joint.  Imagine  our 
surprise  and  astonishment  on  seeing  our  former  thin  and 
cadaverous  patient  standing  before  us  happy,  smiling,  and  well 
nourished.  When  asked  how  it  happened,  she  explained  thus: 
"Well,  doctor,  I  just  got  disgusted  with  myself;  and  my  uncle 
who  paid  my  doctor  bills,  he  died,  and  I  just  made  up  my  mind 
there  was  something  wrong  in  my  head  or  else  in  my  heart, 
and  so  I  began  going  around  looking  for  some  sort  of  mind 
cure.  I  tried  hypnotism.  Christian  Science,  and  a  lot  of  other 
fads  and  fakes.  Several  times  I  thought  I  was  going  to  get 
well  —  but  it  didn't  last.  At  last  —  it  was  on  a  nasty  rainy 
day  —  I  sat  thinking  how  much  better  off  I'd  be  if  I  was  dead ; 
when  all  at  once  it  popped  into  my  head  what  you  told  the  doc- 
tors one  day  here  in  this  clinic  when  you  was  talking  about  my 
case  —  how  you  thought  that  it  would  do  a  whole  lot  of  good 
if  I'd  get  married  —  get  religion  —  or  anything  else  that  would 
.  cheer  me  up.  And  I  just  naturally  got  right  down  on  my  knees 
and  asked  God  —  just  my  mother's  old-fashioned  religion,  you 
see  —  to  help  me  cheer  up ;  and  maybe  you  won't  believe  it,  but 
from  that  day  I've  been  getting  better  —  been  improving  in 
mind  and  body.  Now  I  go  around  to  the  churches  and  such 
places,  not  looking  for  any  special  help  for  myself,  but  to  tell 
all  the  rest  of  the  foolish  folks  how  to  get  out  of  the  dumps; 
to  tell  them  how  thinking  about  yourself  all  the  time  —  I  call  it 
cussed  selfishness  —  is  sure  to  make  you  sick  and  keep  you  ail- 
ing, while  just  cheering  up  will  help  make  them  well  and  happy. 
And  so  you  see,  doctor,  I  got  some  good  here,  after  all,  even  if 
the  baths  and  such  like  did  n't  seem  to  help  me  much,  for  it  was 
here  that  I  got  my  trolley  on  the  right  wire.'* 

THE  PHYSICAL   WELL-BEING 

Great  grief  paralyzes  the  body  generally.  Affairs  of  the 
heart  usually  affect  the  whole  body  —  sometimes  seriously  in- 
volving the   appetite,  the  digestion,  and  even  the  ability  to 


i82       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

sleep  at  night.  The  mental  shock  of  breaking  off  an  engagement 
invariably  reacts  on  the  physical  organism,  sometimes  producing 
profound  anaemia  and  other  grave  disorders  of  metabolism; 
not  infrequently  resulting  in  permanently  deranging  the  nutri- 
tion or  completely  wrecking  the  health. 

Eminent  physicians  have  voiced  their  belief  that  prolonged 
anxiety  and  constant  fear  are  actually  concerned  in  predisposing 
certain  susceptible  persons  to  cancer.  Our  comparative  igno- 
rance of  the  actual  cause  of  cancer  renders  it  difficult  to 
determine  just  how  far  the  depressive  influences  of  fear  thought 
may  be  concerned  in  the  terrible  work  of  cancer-destruction. 
Cancer  seems  to  be  a  disease  following  the  disorganization  and 
demoralization  of  the  nutrition  of  the  cell,  and  it  may  sometime 
be  discovered  that  adverse  mental  influences,  by  their  action 
upon  the  metabolism  of  the  cell,  are,  after  all,  indirectly  con- 
cerned in  the  production  of  cancer  —  the  modern  scourge. 

When  one  is  happy  and  contented,  when  one  is  able  to  believe 
fully  and  confidently  in  the  present  and  the  future,  the  circula- 
tion improves,  the  nutrition  exchanges  are  accelerated,  and  the 
human  machine  works  vigorously  and  harmoniously.  On  the 
other  hand,  when  one  doubts  and  fears,  his  strength  and  vital 
powers  are  all  diminished.  In  many  cases  of  insanity  where  the 
mind  is  so  fully  destroyed  as  to  be  no  longer  able  to  harass  the 
body  with  fears  and  anxiety,  the  unfortunate  creatures  begin  at 
once  to  put  on  flesh  and  to  improve  generally  as  regards  their 
physical  health. 

THE  DUCTLESS  GLANDS 

It  is  now  generally  known  that  the  processes  of  bodily  nutri- 
tion are  largely  influenced,  and  in  many  phases  absolutely 
controlled,  by  the  secretions  of  various  so-called  ductless 
glands,  located  in  various  parts  of  the  body.  These  secretory 
glands  are  called  ductless  glands  because  there  exists  no  visible 
duct  whereby  their  secretions  may  be  conveyed  away  from 
the  gland.  The  secretions  formed  are  absorbed  indirectly  into 
the  blood  through  the  cells  of  the  gland  and  the  walls  of  the 
blood  vessels.  It  is  highly  probable  that  a  man's  varying  and 
constantly  changing  mental  states  are  able  profoundly  to  in- 
fluence the  bodily  nutrition  by  means  of  direct  nervous  influence 


NUTRITION  AND  METABOLISM  183 

upon  some  or  all  of  these  so-called  ductless  glands.  There 
probably  exist  in  the  body  many  secreting  glands  belonging  to 
this  group  which  have  not  yet  been  discovered,  the  knowledge 
of  which  might  shed  still  further  light  on  the  processes  whereby 
mind  is  able  to  influence  matter. 

The  thyroid  gland.  The  thyroid  gland,  the  enlargement  of 
which  is  commonly  known  as  goitre,  seems  to  be  influenced  by 
both  the  mental  state  and  an  accumulation  of  certain  poisons  in 
the  blood  stream.  The  secretions  of  this  important  ductless 
gland  exert  a  powerful  influence  on  the  regulation  of  the  heart- 
beat and  on  the  general  nutrition  of  the  body.  In  the  case  of 
infants,  disorder  in  this  gland  may  produce  that  well-known 
condition  called  cretinism  —  a  species  of  idiocy.  Administration 
of  the  thyroid  gland  of  the  sheep  speedily  relieves  this  otherwise 
incurable  disease.  Thus  the  body  is  profoundly  affected  by  any 
influence  which  is  able  either  to  increase,  decrease,  or  otherwise 
modify  the  secretion  of  this  important  gland. 

There  is  now  little  doubt  that  the  state  of  the  mind  and  nerv- 
ous system  is  able  directly  to  influence  the  circulation  and 
secretory  behavior  of  this  unique  gland.  Many  forms  of  goitre 
are  actually  improved  or  partially  relieved  by  a  pleasant,  hopeful, 
and  optimistic  mental  state.  In  other  cases  fear,  worry,  and 
sorrow  have  been  observed  to  increase  the  size  of  the  gland  — 
to  enlarge  the  goitre.  And  so  it  would  appear  that  if  the  mind 
can  exert  but  the  slightest  influence,  either  directly  or  in- 
directly, over  the  function  of  these  remarkable,  ductless, 
secretory  glands,  the  patient's  mental  state  would  be  able  most 
profoundly  to  influence  the  nutrition  and  metabolism  of  the 
body.  That  the  mind  does  possess  this  power  there  now 
remains  but  little  question. 

The  suprarenal  bodies.  The  suprarenal  bodies  are  situated 
just  above  the  kidneys.  Their  internal  secretion  is  called 
adrenalin,  and  possesses  the  power  of  raising  the  blood-pressure 
by  its  ability  strongly  to  contract  the  small  blood  vessels.  Rise 
and  fall  in  blood-pressure,  which  so  directly  concerns  the 
circulation  of  the  blood,  is  in  some  measure  at  least,  regulated 
by  the  secretion  of  these  important  ductless  glands.  Through 
the  nervous  connection,  long-continued  ?Lbn.ormal  mental  states 


i84       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  "AND  FEAR 

are  undoubtedly  able  unfavorably  to  influence  these  glands  in 
common  with  the  other  secretory  structures  of  the  body;  and 
in  this  way,  the  mind  proves  to  be  a  potent  factor  in  the  indirect 
regulation  of  blood-pressure  and  the  control  of  the  circu- 
lation, as  well  as  by  its  direct  influence  over  the  vaso-motor 
nerves. 

Faith  probably  permits  the  suprarenal  gland,  in  common  with 
other  glands  of  this  class,  to  perform  its  work  in  a  natural, 
normal  manner,  unhindered  by  any  disturbing  influence;  while 
it  is  highly  probable  that  fear  and  constant  depression,  result 
in  an  overproduction  of  secretion  on  the  part  of  these  glands. 
This  increased  secretion  of  adrenalin  must  result  in  raising  the 
blood-pressure,  thus  contributing  to  the  undesirable  results  of 
high  tension  and  hard  arteries. 

The  pituitary  body.  This  small  gland,  about  the  size  of  a 
common  pea,  rests  in  a  small  bone  depression  at  the  base  of  the 
brain.  It  is  known  that  when  this  little  body  is  increased  in 
size,  the  individual  suffers  from  a  peculiar  over-development  of 
bones  and  an  overgrowth  of  the  various  bodily  structures,  in- 
cluding the  thickening  of  the  skin,  etc.  Enlargement  of  this 
peculiar  little  gland  and  a  subsequent  increased  production  of 
its  secretion,  leads  to  the  condition  just  described  and  known  in 
medicine  as  "  giantism  "  ;  or  it  may  lead  to  an  overgrowth  of 
certain  portions  of  the  body,  such  as  the  arms  or  the  legs,  known 
technically  as  "  acromegaly." 

An  eminent  investigator  in  this  field  has  recently  claimed 
to  have  found  direct  nervous  connection  between  the  pituitary 
body  and  the  thyroid  and  suprarenal  glands.  It  has  long  been 
known  that  the  pituitary  body  was  able  to  secrete  a  substance 
which  could  be  so  modified  as  either  to  raise  or  lower  the  blood- 
pressure.  There  is  now  no  question  that  all  these  so-called 
ductless  glands  are  more  or  less  under  nervous  control.  Their 
secretory  functions  are  not  altogether  regulated  by  chemical 
stimuli ;  and  the  discoveries  of  the  future  may  greatly  illuminate 
this  particular  chapter  of  physiology,  especially  with  respect  to 
the  part  played  by  the  various  ductless  glands  in  nutrition  and 
metabolism. 


NUTRITION  AND  METABOLISM 


18S 


Comparative  Summary  of  the  Effects  of  Faith  and  Fear 
ON  THE  Nutrition  and  Metabolism 


faith 

1.  Cell  nutrition:   Increases  and 
promotes. 

2.  Digestion:      Encouraged. 

3.  Assimilation:     Increased. 

4.  Oxidation:      Increased. 

5.  Appetite:      Strengthened. 

6.  Bodily   weight:     Favors    in- 
crease. 

7.  Well-being:      Promoted. 

8.  Ductless     glands:        Favors 
natural  action. 

9.  Thyroid    gland:       Decreases 
some  forms  of  goitre. 

10.  Suprarenals:    Favors  normal 
activity. 

11.  Pituitary  body:     Normal  ac- 
tion. 


fear 


Decreases 


1.  Cell     nutrition: 
and  retards. 

2.  Digestion:     Deranged. 

3.  Assimilation:      Lessened. 

4.  Oxidation:     Decreased. 

5.  Appetite:     Weakened. 

6.  Bodily  weight:     Favors   de- 
crease. 

7.  Well-being:      Decreased. 

8.  Ductless    glands:      Deranges 
secretory  action. 

9.  Thyroid     gland:       Increases 
size  of  gland. 

10.  Suprarenals:      Probably    in- 
creases action. 

11.  Pituitary    body:     May    alter 
action  (  ?)r 


CHAPTER   XVIII 

THE  INFLUENCE  OF  THE  MIND  ON  RESPIRATION 

Deep    breathing   and   shallow   breathing. —  Oxygen,   the 

VITAL     FUEL. ThE     CARBON     DIOXID     OUTPUT. ThE     CHEST- 

development. —  Lung  strength  and    capacity. —  The    act 

OF       BREATHING. —  PsYCHIC       COUGHING. —  HaBIT        COUGH. — 

Yawning    and    hiccupping. —  Asthma    and    hay-fever. — • 
The  plethysmographic  curve. —  The  nervous  mechanism 

of  breathing. comparative  summary  of  the  effects  of 

faith  and  fear  on  respiration. 

NONE  of  the  vital  functions  thus  far  considered  are  any- 
thing like  subject  to  such  a  high  degree  of  mental  control  as 
is  the  respiratory  function.  The  ultimate  control  of  the  breath- 
ing function  probably  depends  on  the  amount  of  carbon  dioxid 
(CO2)  in  the  blood  and  the  subsequent  excitation  of  the  re- 
spiratory centre  of  the  medulla,  nevertheless,  the  cortical  or  vol- 
untary centres  of  the  cerebrum  possess  the  power,  within  cer- 
tain limits,  to  override  the  involuntary  respiratory  centres  of  the 
medulla.  In  connection  with  all  influences  which  are  able  to 
modify  respiration,  it  should  be  remembered  that  the  posture  is 
greatly  concerned.  Breathing  is  more  or  less  affected  by  stoop- 
ing, standing,  or  reclining. 

DEEP  BREATHING   AND  SHALLOW   BREATHING 

Faith  and  courage  induce  deep  breathing.  The  respiration  of 
the  optimist  is  usually  regular,  slow,  and  deep.  The  victims  of 
fear  and  fright  are  always  shallow  breathers,  the  respiratory 
action  being  quick  and  irregular.  Nearly  all  sufferers  from  the 
"  blues  "  are  observed  to  be  superficial  breathers,  while  the  man 
who  has  a  pleasant  and  hopeful  disposition  is  almost  invariably 
found  to  be  a  deep  breather. 

186 


INFLUENCE  OF  MIND  ON  RESPIRATION        187 

When  we  pause  to  consider  the  far-reaching  effect  of  the 
breathing  upon  the  nutrition  and  life  of  the  body  cells,  we  begin 
to  appreciate  the  vast  power  of  the  mind,  or  any  other  influence 
which  has  the  ability  to  influence  the  rate  and  depth  of  the 
respiratory  function.  The  red  blood  corpuscles  can  not  carry 
oxygen  to  the  cells  of  the  body  unless  the  lungs  draw  in  a  suf- 
ficient amount  of  this  vitalizing  element  from  the  atmosphere. 

The  successful  man,  who  faces  the  world  with  courage  and 
confidence,  is  usually  a  deep  breather,  and  for  this  very  reason 
he  is  more  likely  to  develop  into  a  deep  thinker.  On  the  other 
hand,  when  the  mind  becomes  depressed  and  filled  with  fore- 
boding thoughts  of  defeat  and  disaster,  the  respiratory  function 
is  greatly  decreased,  the  breathing  becomes  shallow,  while  the 
lung  action  is  quick  and  jerky.  The  amount  of  oxygen  entering 
the  lungs  with  each  breath  is  decreased,  digestion  is  interfered 
with,  oxidation  is  crippled,  the  fires  of  life  are  literally  smoth- 
ered, and  as  a  result  the  patient's  vital,  efficiency  is  enormously 
decreased. 

The  author  has  seen  the  systematic  practice  of  routine  deep 
breathing  exercises  work  wonders  for  certain  despondent  and 
downcast  dyspeptics.  There  can  be  little  doubt  that  mental 
peace  and  moral  rest  greatly  help  in  increasing  the  efficiency  of 
the  respiratory  function.  Faith  encourages  the  erect  and  physi- 
ological posture,  which  is  indispensable  to  natural  and  normal 
breathing.  It  is  utterly  impossible  for  the  bowed-over,  stoop- 
shouldered  victims  of  fear  to  indulge  in  deep  breathing.  Many 
such  unfortunates  are  shallow  breathers,  as  a  result  of  both 
mental  and  material  causes.  The  happy  mind  stimulates  and 
favors  deep  breathing,  and  we  could  here  describe  the  case  of 
many  a  semi-invalid  who  has  been  restored  to  health  by  learn- 
ing how  to  breathe  properly. 

OXYGEN,   THE   VITAL   FUEL 

Faith,  by  its  power  to  increase  the  depth  of  breathing, 
greatly  increases  the  oxygen-intake;  while  fear  and  its  asso- 
ciated states  of  mental  depression,  greatly  lessen  the  amount  of 
oxygen  entering  the  lungs  with  each  inspiration.  The  oxygen- 
intake  is  vitally  concerned  in  all  the  ultimate  processes  of 
metabolism.     We  are  powerless  to  get  the  energy  out  of  our 


i88       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

digested  and  assimilated  food  stuffs  unless  we  have  present  a 
requisite  amount  of  oxygen  to  combine  with  the  elements  of 
nutrition  and  thus  liberate  the  energy  and  heat  contained  in  the 
products  of  digestion. 

Since  we  are  compelled  to  recognize  the  role  of  mind  in  the 
regulation  of  the  depth  and  rate  of  respiration,  and  since  the 
depth  of  respiration  directly  determines  the  oxygen-intake,  it 
becomes  evident  that  even  the  vital  processes  of  oxidation  in 
the  individual  cells  of  the  body  are,  in  a  measure,  subject  to 
indirect  psychic  influence  and  control,  through  the  avenue  of 
the  oxygen  supply,  as  well  as  by  the  direct  nervous  and  indirect 
secretory  influences  noted  in  the  chapter  on  nutrition  and 
metabolism. 

THE  CARBON  DIOXID  OUTPUT 

The  deep  and  natural  breathing  of  the  joyous  livers  of  the 
faith  life  greatly  increases  the  output  of  carbon  dioxid  (COg) 
in  the  expired  air.  In  contrast  with  this  desirable  state  of  af- 
fairs, fear  and  depression  never  fail  to  decrease  the  amount  of 
carbon  dioxid  in  the  air  which  comes  from  the  lungs.  It  is 
evident  that  mental  depression  and  its  consequent  deficient 
breathing,  are  directly  responsible  for  the  harmful  accumula- 
tion of  these  poisonous  and  undesirable  gases  in  the  system. 

Here  again,  we  come  in  contact  with  that  "  vicious  circle  " 
of  disease  causes.  The  fear  state  of  mind  lessens  breathing  and 
thereby  favors  an  undue  accumulation  of  poisonous  respiratory 
gases  in  the  blood  and  tissues.  These  gaseous  poisons  circulat- 
ing in  the  blood  serve  still  further  to  depress  the  mind  and 
discourage  the  superficial  and  shallow  breather.  This  is  a 
simple  illustration  of  how  a  small  and  insignificant  cause, 
primarily  either  mental  or  physical,  can  multiply  and  grow  until 
the  entire  organism  is  profoundly  affected. 

THE   CHEST-DEVELOPMENT 

Good  cheer  and  optimism  help  in  the  development  of  the 
chest.  Men  of  courage  and  women  of  faith,  as  a  rule,  possess 
strong,  robust,  and  well-developed  chests.  Their  lung  capacity 
is  usually  above  the  average.  The  unfortunate  and  melancholic 
victims  of  fear,  grief,  and  worry  almost  invariably  suffer  from 
a  depression  of  the  chest  as  well  as  a  depression  of  spirits. 


INFLUENCE  OF  MIND  ON  RESPIRATION        189 

There  is  a  direct  relationship  between  the  mental  state  and  the 
carriage  and  posture  of  the  physical  body.  The  soul  that  is 
constantly  bowed  down  in  mind  is  also  frequently  bowed  down 
in  body.  The  man  who  lacks  mental  and  moral  backbone  is 
usually  deficient  in  physical  backbone.  The  one  who  so  readily 
stoops  down  mentally  before  obstacles  and  difficulties,  as  a 
general  rule,  also  stoops  over  physically  as  he  moves  along  in 
the  daily  walks  of  life. 

Watch  the  living  stream  of  humanity  as  it  surges  along  the 
crowded  city  thoroughfare.  The  physical  courage,  the  gait, 
and  the  chest  expansion,  tell  with  almost  unerring  accuracy  the 
story  of  success,  courage,  achievement,  and  the  mental  states  of 
the  various  individuals  composing  the  vast  throng. 

The  well-developed  chest  of  the  man  of  faith  constitutes  a 
great  safeguard  against  tuberculosis,  while  the  shallow  and 
hollow  chest  of  the  deficient  breather  and  the  downcast  worrier 
constitutes  an  ever-present  predisposition  to  consumption. 
There  is  now  no  doubt  in  the  minds  of  physicians  who  make  a 
specialty  of  tuberculosis,  that  a  depressed  mental  state  is  not 
infrequently  a  leading  factor  in  predisposing  people  of  low  vital 
resistance  to  tuberculosis  and  other  infections.  While  it  is 
proverbially  true  that  those  smitten  with  tuberculosis  are  opti- 
mistic and  hopeful  as  to  the  outcome  of  their  disease,  it  is  an  oft 
observed  fact  that  many  of  these  sufferers  were  aforetime 
victims  of  long-standing  mental  depression,  grief,  and  worry. 

LUNG   STRENGTH    AND    CAPACITY 

There  are  two  important  tests  which  may  be  applied  to  the 
lungs;  one  to  ascertain  the  lung  strength,  the  other  to  disclose 
the  lung  capacity.  Faith  and  fear  indirectly  influence  both  the 
strength  and  capacity  of  the  lungs,  by  their  power  to  modify 
the  depth  of  breathing,  and  consequently  to  control  the  develop- 
ment of  the  chest.  We  have  long  observed  that  when  our 
patients  are  improving,  as  they  become  more  cheerful  and  hope- 
ful, their  lung  tests  begin  to  show  an  increase  in  capacity.  We 
have  observed  patients  within  one  month's  time,  as  a  result  of 
increased  courage  and  an  improved  feeling  of  general  well- 
being,  increase  their  lung  capacity  from  15  to  20  per  cent. 

We  have  in  mind  a  certain  patient  who  had  long  believed  her- 


190       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

self  to  be  suffering  from  an  incurable  disease.  She  was  very- 
much  depressed  and  discouraged.  The  best  lung  capacity  test 
we  could  get  in  her  case  was  in  the  neighborhood  of  150  cubic 
inches.  Thirty  days  after  she  fully  accepted  the  idea  that  she 
would  get  well  —  after  she  had  become  enthusiastic  in  the 
mental  and  physical  cultivation  of  health  —  she  registered  a 
lung  capacity  of  215  cubic  inches.  This  great  gain  in  capacity 
was  not  equal,  however,  to  her  remarkable  gain  in  lung  strength. 
In  her  state  of  despair  and  discouragement,  she  was  able  to  reg- 
ister but  one  pound  of  mercury  in  the  test  of  her  blowing  power, 
whereas,  after  her  mental  rejuvenation,  she  registered  a  blow- 
ing strength  equal  to  two  pounds  of  mercury,  an  increase  of 
100  per  cent  in  expiratory  power. 

It  thus  appears  that  hollow  chest  and  stoop  shoulders  may 
result  from  mental  discouragement  as  well  as  from  physical 
depression ;  either  of  which  seems  to  be  able  to  bring  about  that 
state  of  physical  indifference  and  muscular  weakness  observed 
in  nearly  all  cases  of  shallow  breathing  and  weak  chests, 
whether  observed  in  young  or  old. 

THE    ACT    OF   BREATHING 

When  the  mind  is  serene  and  the  attention  is  not  fixed  on  the 
process  of  breathing,  respiration  is  carried  on  in  a  normal, 
natural,  and  rhythmic  fashion.  When  faith  dominates  the 
intellect  the  breathing  is  strong;  all  the  muscles  of  respiration 
participate  in  the  act,  the  abdominal  muscles  as  well  as  those  of 
the  chest.  The  cringing  and  fearful  devotees  of  grief  and 
worry  unfailingly  exhibit  an  unnatural  and  abnormal  mode  of 
breathing.  These  fearful  ones  are  prone  to  employ  chest  or 
thoracic  breathing  to  the  neglect  or  exclusion  of  the  abdominal 
or  diaphragmatic  element  of  natural  respiration. 

When  a  person  stands  erect,  with  the  chest  well  expanded  and 
the  abdominal  muscles  tense,  the  conditions  are  present  for  the 
execution  of  the  natural  and  proper  act  of  breathing.  But  we 
never  find  such  ideal  conditions  present  in  the  case  of  those  who 
fret  and  worry.  This  is  the  picture  of  the  indomitable  and 
energetic  apostles  of  the  faith  life,  the  courageous  and  deter- 
mined optimists. 

A  study  of  groups   of  despondent  and  nervous   individuals 


INFLUENCE  OF  MIND  ON  RESPIRATION        191 

before  and  after  their  entrance  upon  various  new  ethical  and 
religious  beliefs  serves  to  show  that  in  almost  every  case  the 
respiration  function  deepened  and  improved  in  exact  propor- 
tion to  the  improvement  in  the  mental  state  of  the  patient. 

PSYCHIC    COUGHING 

It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  the  mind  can  immediately  and 
strongly  influence  those  modified  and  special  respiratory  mani- 
festations known  as  coughing  and  sneezing.  A  very  large  per- 
centage of  common,  chronic,  hawking  coughs  are  largely 
perpetuated  by  the  mental  state,  coupled  with  the  force  of  habit. 
Fear-attention  is  certainly  able  to  generate  and  maintain  a 
formidable  cough.  The  author  has  made  a  careful  study  of 
the  psychic  element  in  various  coughs,  and  there  can  remain 
no  doubt  ^of  the  powerful  influence  and  ability  of  the  mind 
both  to  cause  and  cure  certain  forms  of  coughing. 

The  following  experimental  observation  the  author  carried 
out  a  few  years  ago,  among  a  large  number  of  similar  inquiries, 
for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  the  effect  of  suggestion  on  a 
company  of  students  with  regard  to  the  tendency  to  cough. 
The  number  of  students  present  was  one  hundred  and  fifty. 
All  were  perfectly  ignorant  of  the  experiment.  The  large 
class-room  was  divided  into  four  equal  parts  while  an  assistant 
made  record  of  all  the  students  who  audibly  coughed,  in  their 
respective  sections.  The  author  proceeded  to  deliver  his  regu- 
lar lecture,  and  during  the  first  thirty  minutes  only  three 
students  in  the  entire  class  were  heard  to  cough.  During  the 
second  period  of  thirty  minutes  —  the  last  half  of  the  talk  —  the 
lecturer  regularly  coughed  every  three  to  five  minutes.  His 
cough  was  sometimes  quite  violent,  at  other  times  moderate, 
and  sometimes  very  slight.  The  wonderful  influence  of  this 
"  suggestive  coughing  "  on  the  class  was  clearly  shown  by  the 
following  summary  of  tabulations  of  the  four  watchers  who 
recorded  the  number  of  coughs  heard  throughout  the  lect-ure. 
(It  should  be  remembered  that  only  three  coughs  were  recorded 
for  the  first  half  of  the  lecture,  covering  a  period  of  thirty 
minutes.) 

First  5  minutes,  11  coughs  were  heard;  second  5  minutes,  15 
coughs  were  heard;  third  5  minutes,   19  coughs  were  heard; 


192       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  ^AND  FEAR 

fourth  5  minutes,  17  coughs  were  heard;  fifth  5  minutes,  27 
coughs  were  heard;  sixth  5  minutes,  16  coughs  were  heard. 

The  foregoing  observation  is  quite  typical  of  a  large  number 
of  similar  experiments  which  were  made.  Audiences  differ 
greatly  in  their  degree  of  suggestibility.  This  same  audience 
was  tried  at  another  time,  but  the  coughing  became  so  suddenly 
and  markedly  increased  that  several  students  discovered  the 
experiment  and  spoiled  the  same  by  setting  up  an  immediate 
and  incessant  hawking  and  coughing.  The  maximum  response 
in  such  experiments  was  secured  sometimes  immediately,  but 
not  usually  until  the  end  of  ten  or  fifteen  minutes.  In  the  case 
just  cited  the  greatest  response  did  not  develop  until  the  end  of 
twenty  minutes. 

In  another  experiment  the  class  (200  in  number)  was  ob- 
served for  fifteen  minutes  and  five  coughs  were  recorded.  The 
next  fifteen  minutes  was  occupied  with  describing  and  explain- 
ing the  experiment  on  the  class  of  150,  the  one  just  described. 
Neither  the  lecturer  nor  any  other  person  engaged  in  suggestive 
coughing.  The  only  suggestion  to  cough  consisted  in  the  fact 
that  the  discussion  was  concentrated  on  coughing  —  all  the 
details  of  the  former  experiment  were  very  carefully  and  fully 
depicted  before  the  class,  their  attention  was  focussed  on 
coughing,  and  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  they  were  listening  to 
the  narration  of  an  actual  experiment  in  suggestive  coughing, 
the  following  tabulation  serves  to  indicate  that  even  the  story 
of  suggestion  has  no  less  power  to  produce  results.  The  num- 
ber of  coughs  heard  were  as  follows: 

First  5  minutes,  9  coughs  were  heard;  second  5  minutes,  21 
coughs  were  heard;  third  5  minutes,  18  coughs  were  heard. 

HABIT  COUGH 

The  author  was  once  called  to  see  a  man  who  had  been 
coughing  continuously  for  three  and  one-half  hours.  He  was 
almost  prostrated  with  exhaustion.  During  our  examination  a 
neighbor's  child  was  run  over  by  a  passing  automobile,  and  in 
the  excitement  which  immediately  followed,  the  patient  had 
his  mind  so  distracted  that  he  forgot  to  cough.  It  was  over 
half  an  hour  before  he  discovered  that  he  had  fully  recovered; 
whereupon,  he  at  once  began  frantically  and  violently  to  cough ; 


INFLUENCE  OF  MIND  ON  RESPIRATION      193 

but  this  half  hour  of  freedom  from  his  affliction  was  sufficient 
to  prove  to  the  patient  himself  that  his  mind  had  figured  largely 
in  producing  the  cough;  and  so,  by  summoning  all  his  will- 
power, he  began  to  control  and  suppress  his  coughing  impulse, 
and  made  a  speedy  recovery. 

There  can  be  little  doubt  that  many  persons  have  the  cough 
habit.  Others  have  acquired  a  very  disagreeable  and  nervous 
habit  of  invariably  clearing  the  throat  —  a  sort  of  hawking  — 
before  they  begin  to  speak  in  public.  We  know  of  a  patient 
who  had  been  coughing  more  or  less  for  three  years.  She 
became  a  Christian  Scientist,  lost  all  belief  in  coughing  and  the 
necessity  therefor,  and  immediately  got  over  her  coughing. 
This  was  a  case  of  "mental  cough,"  and  faith  cured  it.  This 
resembles  the  case  of  another  patient  the  author  recently  heard 
of,  who  was  effectually  cured  of  a  chronic  cough  and  pain  in 
the  side  by  becoming  some  sort  of  Oriental  sun-worshipper. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  whooping-cough  can  even  be  made 
worse  by  fear  and  concentration  of  the  attention.  We  know  of 
at  least  one  case  of  prolonged  whooping-cough,  which  was 
effectually  cured  by  a  good  thrashing.  Of  course,  we  know 
that  all  coughs  are  not  psychic  in  origin ;  but  even  in  those  cases 
where  the  cause  is  wholly  physical,  it  is  not  unlikely  that  the 
mind  sooner  or  later  comes  to  play  a  not  inconsiderable  part  in 
its  severity  and  persistency. 

Sneezing  is  not  so  largely  regulated  and  so  easily  influenced 
by  the  psychic  state.  While  suggestion  may  have  some  power 
in  this  direction,  the  influences  which  are  far  more  important 
and  powerful  are  the  stimulation  of  the  eye,  as  by  brilliant 
light,  or  the  irritation  of  the  nasal  mucous  membrane  by  any 
cause  whatsoever.  By  will-power  we  can  produce  a  cough, 
but  not  a  sneeze.  The  emotions  can  produce  a  feeling  of  suffo- 
cation, by  causing  the  sensation  of  a  ball  rising  in  the  throat; 
and  so  the  short  and  regular  breathing  of  joy  is  in  great 
contrast  with  the  long-drawn  sigh  of  relief  following  a  breath- 
less suspense. 

YAWNING    AND    HICCUPPING 

The  mental  state  is  equal  to,  or  greater  than,  fatigue  in  its 
power  to  produce  yawning.     The  tendency  to  yawn  is  greatly 


194       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  'AND  FEAR 

increased  by  suggestion;  but  hiccupping  is  not  so  easily  pro- 
duced or  cured  by  suggestion.  It  is  a  common  experiment  for 
one  to  yawn  repeatedly  and  audibly,  especially  during  the  course 
of  the  evening  when  in  the  presence  of  a  small  company  of 
people,  and  in  five  minutes  from  one-half  to  three-fourths  of 
the  entire  number  will  have  begun  to  yawn.  Merely  to  speak  of 
it  is  usually  suflScient  to  start  the  majority  of  those  present  off 
into  a  series  of  yawns.     Yawning  is  highly  contagious. 

Mental  depression  accompanying  all  forms  of  fear,  affects 
the  respiratory  function  in  a  very  noticeable  manner,  by  pro- 
ducing the  act  commonly  spoken  of  as  "  sighing."  When 
worried,  one's  respiration  is  likely  to  grow  weaker  and  weaker, 
until  eventually  the  deficient  breathing  is  made  up  by  one  long- 
drawn  inspiration  often  called  a  "  sigh  of  relief." 

These  minor  modifications  of  the  respiratory  function  are  all 
highly  controllable  by  the  mental  state,  and  serve  further  to 
emphasize  the  fact  that  the  mind  exerts  a  minute  control  and 
a  profound  influence  over  the  entire  process  of  breathing. 

An  evening  party  consisting  of  eleven  persons  was  carefully 
observed  from  eight-fifteen  until  eight-thirty,  and  not  a  single 
person  was  seen  to  yawn.  At  eight-thirty  the  author  began  to 
yawn  every  two  to  four  minutes.  Not  a  word  was  said  —  the 
periodical  yawning  was  simply  kept  up.  In  the  fifteen  minutes 
between  eight-thirty  and  eight-forty-five  these  eleven  persons 
actually  yawned  forty-three  times. 

ASTHMA    AND   HAY-FEVER 

The  mind  is  able  greatly  to  influence  both  asthma  and  hay- 
fever,  yet  it  should  not  for  one  moment  be  supposed  that  these 
diseases  are  purely  mind  disorders;  they  usually  represent  a 
real  physical  disturbance  or  nervous  derangement,  nevertheless, 
numerous  cases  are  on  record  where  both  of  them  have  been 
entirely  cured  or  greatly  relieved  by  suggestion.  On  the  other 
hand,  numerous  attacks  of  asthma  and  hay-fever  have  un- 
doubtedly been  precipitated  by  false  fears. 

That  suggestion  can  bring  on  an  attack  of  hay-fever  is  clearly 
shown  by  the  well-known  case  of  the  patient  who  had  a  serious 
attack  of  hay-fever  whenever  in  the  presence  of  a  rose.  An 
artificial,  wax  rose  was  concealed  in  her  room,  and  immediately 


INFLUENCE  OF  MIND  ON  RESPIRATION        195 

on  recognizing  the  presence  of  the  much-dreaded  flower,  she  at 
once  went  into  a  terrific  asthmatic  attack  of  hay-fever. 

The  influence  of  the  mind  over  the  breathing  under  such 
circumstances  is  further  shown  by  the  experience  of  the 
asthmatic  patient  who  awakened  in  his  hotel  room  in  the 
middle  of  the  night,  attacked  with  a  fit  of  suffocation.  He  made 
an  urgent  appeal  to  his  nurse  to  open  wide  the  windows.  The 
nurse  in  the  excitement  and  in  the  darkness,  replied  that  he 
was  unable  to  open  the  window,  whereupon  the  patient  ex- 
claimed, "  Break  the  glass  !  break  it !"  Immediately  the  nurse 
seized  a  chair  and  sent  it  crashmg  through  the  glass  of  the 
supposed  window,  and  instantly  the  patient  began  to  breathe 
more  easily,  and  subsequently  remarked  that  he  thought  he 
would  have  smothered  to  death  had  the  nurse  not  promptly 
broken  the  window.  All  went  well  until  by  the  light  of  the 
early  dawn  it  was  discovered  that  the  windows  were  all  securely 
and  tightly  fastened  down ;  the  nurse  had  only  broken  the  glass 
door  of  a  large  book-case. 

A  certain  patient,  for  ten  years,  had  never  failed  to  have  her 
first  attack  of  hay-fever  on  a  certain  day  of  the  month  each 
year.  A  week  or  two  before  this  time  she  met  with  a  bad 
accident  —  broke  her  leg  and  several  ribs.  She  was,  of  course, 
confined  to  bed  and  allowed  no  newspapers  and  few  visitors. 
The  calendar  near  her  bed  was  an  old  one  —  one  of  the  previous 
year,  and  it  is  interesting  to  record  the  fact  that  the  asthmatic 
attack  did  not  appear  until  the  calendar  indicated  the  proper 
day  of  the  month,  although  that  day  was  actually  a  day  later. 
This  experience  so  aroused  the  disdain  of  the  patient  that  she 
ceased  to  have  her  annual  attacks  of  hay-fever. 

Hiccupping  can  frequently  be  stopped  instantly  by  suddenly 
speaking  to  the  patient,  or  by  any  other  procedure  calculated 
to  attract  the  attention  By  practice  certain  persons  have  de- 
veloped almost  perfect  voluntary  control  over  the  hiccups.  In 
other  cases  fear,  coupled  with  other  causes,  has  permitted 
hiccupping  to  go  on  unchecked  to  a  fatal  termination. 

THE   RESPIRATORY    CURVE 

Last  but  not  least,  the  direct  influence  of  faith  and  fear  on 
respiration  is  shown  by  the  examination   of   the   respiratory 


196       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

(plethysmographic)  curve,  the  graphic  record  of  breathing 
taken  by  means  of  the  plethysmograph  —  an  instrument  which 
is  strapped  about  the  chest,  and,  by  a  system  of  levers,  is  made 
to  record  graphically  on  a  smoked  drum,  the  latitude  of  the 
breathing  movements,  both  as  to  frequency  and  depth.  This  is 
shown  in  Figure  23,  which  serves  to  indicate  the  vital  differ- 
ence between  the  deep,  buoyant  breathing  of  faith,  and  the 
depressed  and  deficient  respiration  of  fear. 

THE    NERVOUS    MECHANISM    OF   BREATHING 

There  are  two  nerve  centres  for  respiration,  the  one  strictly 
a  natural  reflex  in  the  medulla;  the  other  more  or  less  volun- 
tary, and  located  in  the  cortex  of  the  cerebrum.  The  afferent 
stimulus,  in  the  form  of  the  sensation  of  the  need  of  air,  com- 
ing up  by  the  afferent  fibres  of  the  vagus  nerve,  leads  to  the 
regular  and  rhythmic  muscular  movements  of  inspiration,  and 
then  of  expiration.  Now  let  the  habit  of  interfering  with  the 
return  swing  of  the  pendulum  during  expiration  be  contracted, 
especially  in  childhood,  by  prolonged  coughing,  as  in  whooping- 
cough,  and  there  is  danger  that  this  bad  habit  of  breathing  may 
last  for  years,  or  for  life,  in  the  form  of  asthma.  The  act  of 
coughing  always  occurs  in  expiration,  thus  interrupting  the 
regular  rhythm  of  expiration  which  normally  so  quickly  follows 
inspiration.  In  asthma,  the  air  enters  easily  in  inspiration, 
but  is  retarded  in  expiration,  so  that  this  latter  instead  of  being 
equal  to  inspiration,  as  in  health,  may  be  five  times  as  long. 
Once  the  normal  habits  of  breathing  become  deranged,  the 
respiratory  centre  may  be  at  the  mercy  of  a  great  variety  of 
different  stimuli.  Thus  one  form  of  asthma  is  called  "  cat 
asthma,"  because  the  mere  entrance  of  a  cat  into  the  room  will 
start  the  patient  wheezing. 

Fear  undoubtedly  depresses  the  respiration  by  diminishing 
the  impulses  passing  down  over  the  phrenic  nerves  to  the  dia- 
phragm and  over  the  intercostals  to  the  other  muscles  of 
respiration. 


"^ 

r- 

.,-W-vW 

V^vr 

r 

V 

a 

b 

1 

TRACING    or  THE  RESPIRATORY  CURVE   DURING  AN 
EXCITING   HAPPY   THOUGHT 


TRACING  OF  THE:  RESPIRATORY  CURVE  DURING  A 
5AD   DEPRESSING  THOUGHT 


FIG.  23.        GRAPHIC    TRACING     OFTKe: 
RESPIRATORY    CURVEL.  (SCRIPTURE) 


•'  "  o  •>    1    *  .' 


INFLUENCE  OF  MIND  ON  RESPIRATION       197 


Comparative  Summary  of  the  Effects  of  Faith  and  Fear 
ON  Respiration 


FAITH 


deep, 


4.  The  chest: 

5.  Strength: 

6.  Capacity: 

7.  Breathing: 


1.  Depth:       Breathing 
regular,  and  slow. 

2.  Oxygen-intake:     Greatly   in- 
creased. 

3.  Carbon   dioxid  output:     In- 
creased. 

Well  developed. 
Increased, 
Increased. 
Normal,  natural, 
and  abdominal. 

8.  Coughing:     Relieved  by   in- 
attention. 

9.  Yawning:     Can  be  produced 
by  suggestion. 

10.  Hiccupping:  Relieved  by  at- 
tracting the  attention. 

II  Respiratory  curve:  Gradu- 
ally increased. 

12.  Nerve  control:  Strength- 
ened. 


FEAR 

1.  Depth:      Breathing    shallow, 
quick,  and  irregular. 

2.  Oxygen-intake:     Greatly  les- 
sened. 

3.  Carbon  dioxid  output:     De- 
creased. 

Flat  and  hollow. 
Decreased. 
Lessened. 

Abnormal     and 
Thoracic. 

Aggravated    by 


The  chest: 

Strength: 

Capacity: 

Breathing: 

unnatural. 

8.  Coughing: 
suggestion. 

9.  Yawning:  The  '*  sigh  of  re- 
lief" produced  by  depres- 
sion. 

10.  Hiccupping:      Rendered    un- 
controllable and  even  fatal. 

11.  Respiratory    curve:      Gradu- 
ally decreased. 

12.  Nerve  control:     Weakened. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

HOW  THE  MENTAL  STATE  AFFECTS  THE  MUSCLES 

Muscular  strength  and  endurance. —  Muscular  fatigue. 
—  The  physical  gait  and  carriage. —  Psychic  muscular 
response. —  Muscular  spasm. —  Muscular  relaxation. — 
The  muscles  of  expression. —  Capacity  for  work. —  Mus- 
cular movements  of  stomach  and  intestine. —  Muscular 
sensation. —  Enteroptosis  or  visceral  displacement. — Com- 
parative summary  of  the  effects  of  faith  and  fear  on  the 

MUSCLES. 

THE  human  body  is  a  vast  and  complicated  system  of  mus- 
cular levers  and  bony  fulcrums.  All  work  is  performed 
by  means  of  muscular  contraction,  and  all  the  muscles  of  both 
the  voluntary  and  involuntary  muscular  systems  are  under  the 
control  of  the  mind  —  directly,  through  the  cerebro-spinal  sys- 
tem, and  indirectly,  through  the  sympathetic  nervous  system. 
The  entire  muscular  system  is  absolutely  dependent  upon  nerve 
impulse  for  the  maintenance  of  its  tone. 

MUSCULAR    STRENGTH     AND    ENDURANCE 

Faith  unfailingly  increases  the  energy  and  endurance  of  the 
muscles.  The  courageous  man  can  actually  perform  more 
work  in  a  given  time  than  can  he  whose  mind  is  filled  with 
doubts  and  despondency.  Fear  decreases  the  power  of  the 
muscular  system  to  perform  physical  work;  it  diminishes  mus- 
cular energy  and  lessens  muscular  endurance. 

Confidence  and  courage  are  indispensable  to  the  performance 
of  gigantic  muscular  feats.  Profound  fear  may  even  tempo- 
rarily paralyze  muscular  action.  Chronic  fear  or  worry  pro- 
duces a  relative  paralysis  of  the  entire  muscular  system.  Fear 
and  grief  produce  flabby,  relaxed,  and  weakened  muscles ;  while 
faith  adds  to  the  tone  and  strength  of  every  muscle  in  the 
body. 

198 


MENTAL  STATE  AFFECTS  THE  MUSCLES      199 

As  a  practical  illustration  of  the  enormous  influence  exer- 
cised by  the  mind  on  muscular  strength,  we  will  cite  the  fol- 
lowing: A  certain  young  man  had  long  studied  and  worked 
to  secure  a  position  as  private  secretary  to  a  prominent  busi- 
ness man.  After  the  receipt  of  two  or  three  letters  it  began 
to  look  as  if  he  would  fail  in  securing  the  coveted  position. 
He  was  downcast  and  depressed.  During  this  period  of  dis- 
couragement he  had  his  strength  test  taken  —  every  group  of 
muscles  in  the  body  was  tested  by  means  of  a  specially  devised 
machine  called  the  dynamometer.  This  test  showed  his  total 
strength  to  be  not  quite  3,000  pounds.  Three  days  after  this 
test  he  received  a  telegram  announcing  his  appointment  as 
private  secretary  to  the'  gentleman  in  question.  Of  course, 
his  joy  knew  no  bounds,  his  delight  was  supreme,  and  another 
test  of  his  muscular  power  gave  a  total  strength  of  almost  5,000 
pounds,  an  increase  of  considerably  over  50  per  cent  in  muscle 
strength  —  capacity  for  work.  The  first  test  was  effected  with 
considerable  exertion  and  noticeable  displeasure;  while  the  sec- 
ond test  was  taken  with  keen  pleasure  and  evident  delight. 

MUSCULAR    FATIGUE 

Careful  laboratory  tests  respecting  the  psychic  element  in 
muscular  fatigue  go  to  show  that  the  mental  state  has  much 
to  do  in  determining  the  degree  of  physical  weariness  which 
follows  the  performance  of  definite  muscular  tasks.  Confi- 
dence and  courage  increase  the  "  hand-squeeze "  power ;  that 
is,  when  one  squeezes  with  all  his  might  on  a  little  hand  dyna- 
mometer, if  the  mind  is  dominated  by  faith  one  is  able  to  register 
a  strength  test  considerably  higher  than  when  one  is  controlled 
by  doubts  and  depressive  fears.  Fear,  both  acute  and  chronic, 
is  shown  by  repeated  experiments,  actually  and  definitely  to 
decrease  the  "  hand-squeeze  "  power. 

Strength  tests  covering  practically  every  group  of  muscles  in 
the  body  have  been  made  upon  the  same  person  when  in  differ- 
ent mental  states.  It  is  difficult  to  believe  the  results  of  some 
of  these  observations.  A  change  in  the  mental  state,  as  when 
receiving  bad  news  or  becoming  suddenly  frightened,  is  suffi- 
cient to  decrease  the  showing  of  physical  strength  from  25  to 
65  per  cent.  Single  groups  of  muscles  have,  by  fright,  had 
their  total  strength  decreased  as  much  as  75  per  cent. 


200       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

It  is  a  common  experience  for  one  to  be  able  to  tramp  miles 
and  miles  over  the  country  while  out  on  a  pleasure  jaunt  with- 
out experiencing  a  noticeable  degree  of  muscular  fatigue.  This 
relative  freedom  from  physical  weariness  is  undoubtedly  due 
to  the  fact  that  the  mental  state  at  such  times  is  in  perfect 
accord  with  the  physical  effort  —  such  work  partakes  of  the 
nature  of  play.  If  a  corresponding  amount  of  muscular  work 
were  performed  under  mental  protest  —  without  the  complete 
and  hearty  cooperation  of  the  mind,  it  would  result  in  the  pro- 
duction of  not  less  than  twice  as  much  fatigue.  Faith  de- 
creases the  actual  sense  of  fatigue  following  muscular  effort; 
while  fear  directly  increases  the  amount  of  fatigue  following 
all  physical  work. 

THE    PHYSICAL    GAIT    AND    CARRIAGE 

The  effect  of  mind  on  muscle  is  nowhere  better  shown  than 
in  the  bodily  carriage.  The  man  of  faith  walks  with  a  bold 
carriage  and  a  confident  step.  The  gait  is  elastic;  the  phys- 
ical poise  is  energized;  and  the  bodily  movement  indicates 
courage  and  self-confidence.  This  is  the  picture  presented  by 
a  healthy  person  walking  along  the  street,  whose  mind  is  in  a 
natural  and  normal  state  —  filled  with  faith  and  hope.  In  con- 
trast with  such  a  moving  picture  of  muscular  force  and  energy, 
let  the  reader  recall  the  figure  of  some  discouraged  and  disheart- 
ened man  walking  down  the  avenue.  The  carriage  is  weak 
and  slovenly,  the  gait  shuffling,  and  the  step  inelastic;  the 
body  is  being  fairly  dragged  along,  every  muscle  weak  and 
relaxed.  The  stamp  of  mental  defeat  has  been  transferred  to 
the  material  body.  The  physical  man  reflects  the  picture  of 
mental  weakness,  doubt,  and  defeat. 

It  is  possible  quite  accurately  to  diagnose  a  man's  mental 
state  by  merely  observing  his  physical  gait.  Of  course,  it 
should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  physical  condition  or  general 
feeling  of  well-being,  also  has  much  to  do  in  determining  the 
muscular  tone  and  the  gait.  Many  persons  are  addicted  to  a 
slovenly  gait  because  they  are  run  down  physically  —  they  are 
suffering  from  that  ever-present  "  tired  feeling."  It  is  also 
true  that  such  are  usually  suffering  from  mental  discourage- 
ment and   a  general  depression   of   spirits.     Mental   discour- 


MENTAL  STATE  AFFECTS  THE  MUSCLES      201 

agement,  physical  depression,  and  muscular  weakness  are  the 
trio  ever  found  associating  themselves  together  in  the  same 
individual. 

He  who  has  a  courageous  mind  exhibits  a  physical  carriage 
that  is  both  erect  and  vigorous,  while  the  despondent  and  the 
despairing  move  through  the  world  with  a  weak  carriage,  if 
they  are  not  actually  stoop-shouldered.  One  could  almost 
judge  of  a  man's  success  in  life,  at  least,  of  his  mental  status, 
by  the  carriage  and  poise  of  his  body.  One  of  the  essential 
elements  in  the  treatment  and  cure  of  stoop  shoulders  and  flat 
chest  is  to  persuade  their  victims  to  cheer  up  and  have  confi- 
dence in  their  ability  to  achieve  all-round  success  in  life. 

PSYCHIC    MUSCULAR    RESPONSE 

The  galvanometer  used  in  the  following  experiment,  is  the 
mirror  galvanometer  of  the  D'Arsonval  type.  The  mechanism 
is  such  that  when  an  electric  current  of  extremely  slight  in- 
tensity is  passed  through  it,  the  mirror  is  deflected  so  as  to 
reflect  into  the  eyes  of  the  observer  successive  marks  on  a 
scale  which  is  in  position  before  the  mirror,  and  through  an 
opening  in  which  the  observer  can  see  the  mirror. 

The  subject  of  the  experiment  was  seated  with  his  hands  upon 
the  poles  of  the  galvanometer.  The  observer  seated  himself 
before  the  instrument.  A  third  person  suggested  to  the  sub- 
ject of  the  experiment  words  which  were  associated  with  pleas- 
ant situations  and  with  unpleasant  situations  in  turn,  and  also 
gave  suggestions  which  were  of  a  neutral  order  as  far  as 
pleasantness  and  unpleasantness  were  concerned.  In  every 
case  in  which  the  suggestions  aroused  feelings  of  pleasantness 
or  unpleasantness,  there  was  a  deflection  of  the  mirror  in  the 
galvanometer.  The  deflection  was  greater  in  proportion  to  the 
arousal  of  unpleasant  feelings.  In  the  case  of  the  neutral 
words  there  was  no  deflection. 

The  same  subject  was  tested  furthermore  with  problems  in- 
volving some  intellectual  activity  of  different  degrees.  In  all 
those  cases  in  which  a  considerable  degree  of  intellectual  activ- 
ity was  required,  the  deflection  of  the  mirror  was  great.  The 
less  the  intellectual  activity  required,  the  less  the  deflection. 
He  was  then  tested  with  reference  to  the  performance  of  mus- 


202       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

cular  work.  In  those  cases  in  which  the  muscular  activity 
required  a  considerable  effort  and  produced  fatigue,  as  in  the 
raising  of  the  foot  repeatedly  from  the  floor  to  a  height  of 
five  inches,  the  deflection  of  the  mirror  was  great.  In  the 
case  of  less  fatiguing  exercises,  the  deflection  was  less.  Ha- 
bitual activities,  whether  muscular  or  mental,  involve  a  less 
deflection  of  the  mirror  than  do  activities  which  are  not 
habitual. 

MUSCULAR   SPASM 

Fear,  like  certain  poisonous  toxins,  is  able  to  produce  spas- 
modic contraction  of  the  muscles  —  especially  is  the  fear  state 
of  mind  able  to  provoke  spasm  of  the  involuntary  muscles  of 
the  blood  vessels  and  the  digestive  system.  These  abnormal 
tendencies  to  involuntary  muscular  contraction  are  directly 
responsible  for  numerous  cases  of  pale  skins,  cold  feet,  and 
other  disagreeable  functional  disturbances. 

Dubois  tells  of  the  case  of  two  brothers  who  were  bitten  by 
a  mad  dog.  One  had  to  leave  at  once  for  America,  and  thought 
no  more  about  it.  Twenty  years  afterwards,  when  he  returned 
to  Europe  he  heard  that  his  brother  had  died  of  hydrophobia, 
whereupon  he  was  immediately  taken  sick,  and  died  with  all  the 
symptoms  of  the  same  disease.  False  lockjaw  and  paralysis 
are  induced  in  a  similar  manner. 

MUSCULAR  RELAXATION 

While  it  is  very  desirable  that  the  various  groups  of  volun- 
tary and  involuntary  muscles  of  the  body  should  be  energized 
during  their  periods  of  work,  it  is  equally  important  that  these 
muscles  —  particularly  the  voluntary  muscles  —  should  have 
proper  periods  of  rest,  seasons  of  perfect  relaxation.  Fear, 
worry,  and  other  disturbances  of  the  mental  state  are  able  to 
set  in  operation  various  influences  which  result  in  producing 
a  condition  of  almost  continuous  muscular  spasm.  While  all 
the  muscles  are  influenced  by  emotional  fear,  only  the  volun- 
tary muscles  can  ba  directly  influenced  by  the  will. 

Such  nervous  and  psychic  high-strung  individuals  are  con- 
stantly keyed  up  to  the  highest  notch.  They  are  strangers  to 
the  blessings  and  benefits  of  muscular  and  nervous  relaxation. 
Such  anxious  intensity  is  disastrous  to  the  general  health;  it 


MENTAL  STATE  AFFECTS  THE  MUSCLES      203 

results  from  fear  and  worry,  and  is  effectually  removed  only  by 
a  restoration  of  the  mental  balance  maintained  by  faith. 

Faith,  then,  is  able  to  tone  up  the  muscles  for  work  —  to  en- 
ergize the  machine  for  the  successful  performance  of  its  phys- 
ical tasks;  and  then  to  order  and  enforce  that  perfect  and 
complete  relaxation  of  the  tired  and  worn-out  muscle  which  is 
so  essential  to  the  restoration  of  muscular  energy  and  the  recu- 
peration of  physical  strength. 

An  unfortunate  woman  who  had  suffered  thirty-eight  years 
with  a  hysterical  contraction  of  the  muscles  of  her  hand,  so 
tightly  closing  the  fist  that  it  could  be  opened  only  by  employ- 
ing great  force,  had  her  hand  opened  and  her  infirmity  perma- 
nently cured,  by  an  emotional  and  undoubting  appeal  before 
the  shrine  of  a  dead  and  departed  saint. 

THE    MUSCLES    OF    EXPRESSION 

All  forms  of  fear  and  unhealthy  emotion  have  a  great  influ- 
ence on  the  muscles,  especially  of  the  face  and  hands.  Expres- 
sion, indeed,  depends  on  contractions  and  relaxations  of  the 
facial  muscles.  Cheerfulness  favorably  excites  all  the  muscu- 
lar system,  and  in  its  higher  manifestations  provokes  laughter, 
dancing,  jumping,  and  leaping;  when  more  moderate,  it  causes 
the  mouth  and  the  eyes  to  become  highly  expressive  of  pleasure, 
the  upper  lips  are  elevated  and  the  teeth  are  thus  displayed. 
Joy  brightens  the  eyes,  expands  the  nostrils,  raises  the  angles 
of  the  mouth,  elevates  the  eyebrows,  and  energizes  the  vocal 
muscles,  imparting  a  peculiar  and  characteristic  expression  to 
the  voice  —  in  fact,  inspires  the  whole  body  to  an  expression 
of  happiness  and  satisfaction.  This  salutary  effect  is  no  doubt 
partially  due  to  an  increased  supply  of  blood  to  both  the  muscles 
and  their  controlling  nerve  centres.  The  heart  is  greatly  accel- 
erated, the  oxygenation  of  the  blood  is  increased,  and  the 
action  of  all  the  vital  organs  is  stimulated. 

Fear,  when  not  sufficient  absolutely  to  paralyze  the  muscles, 
generates  a  state  of  muscular  panic,  producing  demoralized 
muscular  action,  as  in  the  case  of  hasty  flight.  At  other  times 
the  muscles  are  seized  with  spasm  —  fixed  and  contracted. 
The  general  effect  of  fear  is  that  of  crouching,  caused  by  the 
contraction  of  the  flexor  muscles,  in  contradistinction  to  the 


204       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

effect  of  courage,  which  contracts  the  extensors,  producing 
expansion  and  increased  height.  Trembling,  palpitation,  and 
pallor  are  experienced,  sometimes  equal  to  that  which  would 
accompany  the  actual   evil   feared. 

CAPACITY  FOR   WORK 

The  state  of  the  mind  has  a  vast  deal  to  do  with  the  amount 
of  muscular  work  which  a  person  can  perform  in  a  given  time. 
Faith  increases  the  capacity  for  work,  while  fear  greatly  de- 
creases the  working  capacity  of  the  muscular  system.  The 
child  engaged  in  joyful  and  gleeful  play  is  able  to  perform  an 
enormous  amount  of  muscular  work  without  complaining  of  a 
sense  of  fatigue.  The  same  amount  of  muscular  effort  per- 
formed in  the  nature  of  routine  work  would  have  led  the  body 
to  complain  in  no  uncertain  terms  of  weariness  and  fatigue. 
Good  cheer  increases  the  muscular  efficiency. 

A  large  percentage  of  our  patients  who  habitually  complain 
of  great  physical  weariness  following  the  slightest  muscular 
exertion  are  victims  of  combined  mental  inertia  and  auto- 
intoxication, the  latter  resulting  from  chronic  constipation. 
Let  the  mind  become  fired  by  some  extraordinary  exhibition 
—  let  the  soul  be  swallowed  up  with  some  intense  religious 
devotion,  and  see  how  quickly  this  old-time  sense  of  muscular 
weakness  and  physical  weariness  entirely  vanishes.  Muscular 
strength  is  unfailingly  increased  in  public  and  competitive 
exhibitions.  It  is  also  usually  increased  when  the  performance 
takes  place  in  the  presence  of  the  opposite  sex. 

The  author  had  a  patient  who  had  not  done  a  good  day's  work 
for  three  and  one-half  years.  He  believed  himself  to  be  suf- 
fering from  some  insidious  and  incurable  disease.  He  grew 
progressively  weaker  and  finally  took  to  his  bed.  No  amount 
of  medicine,  treatment,  or  persuasion  could  induce  him  to 
shake  off  this  lethargy  and  invalidism.  Finally,  there  fell 
into  his  hands  a  book  which  contained  the  story  of  a  case  in 
many  respects  exactly  like  his  own.  The  patient  in  the  book  cured 
himself  by  some  method  of  practising  deep  breathing,  focus- 
sing his  mind  on  some  object  half  a  mile  distant  and  repeating 
the  words,  "  I  can,  I  will,  I  am  doing  it  now."  It  is  needless 
to  add  that  our  patient  got  right  up  out  of  bed,  dressed  himself. 


MENTAL  STATE  AFFECTS  THE  MUSCLES      205 

JL. 

walked  around  the  block,  went  to  work  on  the  third  day,  and 
has  ever  since  been  an  enthusiastic  crank  of  this  particular 
psychic  fad  or  cult.  But  who  can  blame  him?  Both  doctors 
and  preachers  failed  to  lead  him  out  of  his  mental  bondage, 
and  it  is  little  wonder  that  he  seeks  to  make  a  cure-all  system 
out  of  the  thing  that  so  wonderfully  and  marvellously  led  him 
out  of  the  wilderness  of  depression  and  disease  into  the  prom- 
ised land  of  faith,  health,  and  happiness. 

MUSCULAR  MOVEMENTS  OF  STOMACH   AND  INTESTINE 

Faith  favors  a  normal,  strong,  and  continuous  movement  of 
the  stomach  muscle  during  digestion,  while  fear  leads  to  weak 
and  intermittent  contractions  of  the  stomach.  X-ray  observa- 
tions upon  animals  that  have  had  bismuth  added  to  their  food 
show  that  the  mental  state  is  very  closely  connected  with  the 
stomach  and  intestinal  muscular  movements.  To  worry  a  dog  or 
pull  a  cat's  tail  immediately  after  it  has  eaten  a  meal  is  sufficient, 
temporarily,  to  paralyze  the  musculature  of  stomach  and  bowel 
—  for  the  time  being  to  stop  all  digestive  muscular  movements. 
In  such  cases  it  is  from  one-fourth  to  three-quarters  of  an 
hour  before  anything  like  normal  muscular  movements  are  re- 
sumed, unless  special  efforts  are  put  forth  to  improve  the 
mental  state  of  the  offended  animal.  We  have  previously 
noticed  the  mechanism  whereby  the  mind  is  able  to  produce 
that  peculiar  and  perverted  action  of  the  stomach  concerned 
in  vomiting. 

As  noted  in  the  chapter  on  secretion,  faith  and  the  pleasant 
mental  states  increase  and  strengthen  intestinal  peristalsis.  A 
healthy  state  of  mind  favors  regular  and  rhythmic  contrac- 
tions of  the  intestinal  muscles,  while  fear  diminishes  peris- 
talsis and  produces  weak  and  irregular  contractions.  Thus 
we  are  reminded  that  constipation  may  often  be  caused  by 
mental  disturbance  and  nervous  derangement.  It  is  well- 
known  that  worry  produces  a  sluggish  bowel  movement,  while 
cheerfulness  is  an  actual  aid  in  the  treatment  of  some  forms  of 
constipation.  Of  course,  acute  fright  is  able  to  stop  absorp- 
tion in  the  bowel  and  derange  the  circulation,  and  this  may 
result  in  producing  a  transient  diarrhoea.  Acute  fear  is  often 
exciting  in  its  initial  effects  while  subsequently  depressing. 


2o6       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

That  the  mental  state  is  able  greatly  to  influence  the  mus- 
cular action  of  the  bowel  is  shown  in  the  case  of  the  patient 
who  mistakingly  took  opium,  supposing  it  to  be  a  purgative. 
Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  opium  is  an  exceedingly  con- 
stipating drug,  in  this  particular  case  it  produced  the  desired 
and  expected  laxative  effect.  The  nervous  system  has  power 
completely  to  reverse  the  muscular  movement  or  peristalsis  of 
the  intestines.  That  this  is  possible,  is  shown  in  the  case  of  the 
patient  who  had  castor  oil  injected  into  the  rectum,  and  then 
vomited  it  in  fifteen  minutes. 

MUSCULAR    SENSATION 

It  is  well-known  that  concentration  of  the  mind  upon  a 
muscle  or  a  group  of  muscles  is  sometimes  able  to  produce  a 
muscular  spasm,  while  mental  relaxation  has  repeatedly  proven 
itself  able  to  cure  muscular  cramps  and  relieve  muscular  spasm. 
Pseudo-cholera  has  been  induced  by  fright,  due  to  sudden  ac- 
tion of  the  intestinal  muscles.  Fear  may  excite  one  to  a  chok- 
ing sensation  as  upon  the  receipt  of  bad  news,  while  even  false 
lockjaw  is  now  known  to  come  from  fear  and  worry. 

We  knew  of  a  patient,  who,  for  years  after  seeing  a  baby 
choke  to  death  was  unable  to  swallow  a  mouthful  of  solid 
food  owing  to  a  spasmodic  nervous  muscular  stricture  of  the 
gullet.  By  a  process  of  psychic  training  this  condition  was 
finally  removed  and  he  was  able  once  more  to  eat  solid  food. 

The  effect  of  the  mind  on  the  muscle  is  further  shown  by  the 
common  experiment  of  "  muscle  reading."  One  person  con- 
ceals an  object  about  the  room,  another  is  then  led  in  from 
an  adjoining  room,  blindfolded.  The  blindfolded  one  is  al- 
lowed to  place  his  hand  upon  that  of  the  first  person ;  and  some 
are  so  expert  in  this  experiment  that  they  are  able,  in  the 
majority  of  cases,  to  locate  the  hidden  object.  It  is  simply  a 
matter  of  "muscle  reading."  As  the  object  is  neared,  the 
person  who  concealed  it  unconsciously  offers  a  slight  muscular 
resistance,  the  pulse  slightly  quickens,  and  not  infrequently  the 
hand  perspires  a  trifle ;  and  in  this  way,  by  repeated  manoeuvres, 
the  blindfolded  one  is  able  to  reach  the  exact  locality  of  the 
hidden  object. 

That  the   mental   state  still    further   influences   the   general 


MENTAL  STATE  AFFECTS  THE  MUSCLES      207 

musculature  is  shown  by  the  severity  of  the  jar  which  one  re- 
ceives when  he  unexpectedly  steps  down  an  extra  step.  The 
mind  and  nervous  system  had  not  properly  prepared  the  muscle 
for  the  jolt.  The  muscular  control  by  the  sympathetic  system, 
and  the  marginal  consciousness,  in  the  case  of  the  sleep-walker, 
are  usually  sufficient  to  prevent  accident  and  bodily  harm. 

ENTEROPTOSIS,    OR  VISCERAL  DISPLACEMENT 

Mental  debility  invariably  leads  to  muscular  debility.  The 
weakened  mental  attitude  sooner  or  later  produces  weakness 
of  the  musculature.  Thousands  of  people,  especially  women, 
are  suffering  from  a  prolapsus  and  general  tumbling  down  of 
the  internal  organs  of  the  abdomen  and  pelvis.  In  the  vast 
majority  of  cases  this  is  due  to  faulty  clothing,  deficient  breath- 
ing, and  weak  abdominal  muscles.  Faith  and  fear,  as*  we 
have  previously  noted,  are  directly  concerned  in  determining 
the  type  and  depth  of  respiration.  These  mental  attitudes 
are  also  greatly  concerned  in  the  maintenance  of  the  normal 
and  physiological  attitude  of  the  body,  while  walking,  sitting, 
or  resting. 

Many  chronic  invalids  suffering  from  misplacement  of  inter- 
nal organs  would  be  immensely  benefited  by  acquiring  a  pleas- 
ant and  vigorous  mental  state  —  a  state  of  mind  which  would 
provoke  deep  breathing  together  with  vigorous  action  and 
control  of  the  abdominal  muscles.  It  is  almost  impossible,  by 
any  scheme  of  exercises  or  massage,  to  improve  these  cases  of 
abdominal  prolapsus  in  the  presence  of  a  discouraged  and 
despondent  mental  attitude.  It  is  highly  essential  to  have  a 
nervous  state  which  encourages  the  body  to  assume  the  phys- 
iological poise,  and  invigorates  the  muscles  to  natural  and 
normal  contraction. 

Comparative  Summary  of  the  Effects  of  Faith  and  Fear 
ON  the  Muscles 
faith 

1.  Strength:     Energy   and   en- 
durance increased. 

2.  Fatigue:    Lessened. 

3.  "  Hand-squeeze ''     power: 
Greatly  increased. 


fear 

1.  Strength:      Energy    and    en- 
durance decreased. 

2.  Fatigue:    Increased. 

3.  "  Hand-squeeze  "       power: 
Greatly  diminished. 


2o8       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 


FAITH 

4.  Gait:    Elastic  step. 

5.  Carriage:  Erect  and  vigo- 
rous. 

6.  Psychic  response:  Galvan- 
ometer test  shows  slight  de- 
flection. 

7.  Spasm:  Lessens  and  pre- 
vents. 

8.  Relaxation:     Encourages. 

9.  Expression:  Pleasant  and 
agreeable. 

10.  Work   capacity:     Increased. 

11.  Stomach  movements:  Regu- 
lar and  continuous. 

12.  Intestinal  movements:  En- 
courages peristalsis.  Pro- 
duces regular  contractions. 

13.  Sensation:  Favors  normal 
interpretation.  Prevents 
cramps. 

14.  Enteroptosis:  Aids  in  pre- 
venting. 


FEAR 

4.  Gait:     Dragging,   slovenly. 

5.  Carriage:   Stooped  and  weak. 

6.  Psychic  response:  Galvan- 
ometer test  shows  great  de- 
flection. 

7.  Spasm:  Favors  and  in- 
creases. 

8.  Relaxation:  Renders  diffi- 
cult. 

9.  Expression:  Downcast  and 
sorrowful. 

10.  Work  capacity:  Decreased. 

11.  Stomach  movements:  Weak 
and  intermittent. 

12.  Intestinal  movements:  Di- 
minishes peristalsis.  Con- 
tractions are  irregular. 

13.  Sensation:  Perverts  and 
misinterprets. 


14.  Enteroptosis. 
ducing. 


Assists  in  pro- 


CHAPTER  XX 

THE  INFLUENCE  OF  THE  MIND  ON  THE  SKIN  AND 
THE  HEAT-REGULATING   MECHANISM 

The  complexion. —  The  skin  circulation. —  Cutaneous  ac- 
tivity.—  Local  blood  supply. —  The  sweat  glands. — 
Electrical-reaction  area. —  Nutrition  of  the  skin. —  Cu- 
taneous   SENSATION    AND    ERUPTIONS. —  TEMPERATURE    SENSE. 

—  The  process  of  heat-regulation. —  Sensation  of  cold. 

—  Chills. —  Fever. —  Thermo-electric    body    temperature. 

—  Comparative  summary  of  the  effects  of  faith  and  fear 
on  the  skin  and  the  heat-regulating  mechanism. 

A  MAN  of  average  size  possesses  about  seventeen  or  eight- 
een square  feet  of  skin,  containing  a  vast  network  of 
small  blood  vessels  which  are  capable  of  holding  almost  one-half 
of  the  total  volume  of  blood  circulating  in  the  body.  The 
activities  of  the  skin,  together  with  the  circulation  of  the 
blood  through  its  small  vessels,  are  all  under  almost  complete 
nervous  control.  The  mind  is  able  directly  to  influence  prac- 
tically all  the  functions  and  operations  of  the  skin  and  the 
many  glands,  muscles,  and  blood  vessels  therein  contained. 

THE    complexion 

Faith,  all  other  things  equal,  favors  a  normal,  healthy,  and 
ruddy  complexion,  while  fear  and  worry  predispose  to  a  pale 
and  anaemic  appearance  of  the  skin.  The  mental  state,  by  its 
influence  upon  the  nerves  of  nutrition  and  the  circulation  of 
the  blood,  is  able  very  powerfully  to  influence  the  health  and 
nutrition  of  the  skin.  Cheerfulness  and  happiness  help  much 
more  toward  beautifying  the  skin  than  the  long-continued  use 
of  a  multitude  of  cosmetics,  skin  foods,  and  complexion  improv- 
ers. The  bloom  of  health  is  seldom  found  on  the  cheek  of  the 
downcast  and  despondent.     A  beautiful  complexion  more  fre- 

209 


210       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

quently   graces    the   joyous   soul.     There   is    a   direct   relation 
between  the  bloom  of  health  and  buoyancy  of  spirits. 

A  sound  digestion,  active  bowels,  good  circulation,  and  cheer- 
fulness are  the  secret  and  source  of  a  fine  complexion.  Mental 
peace  and  moral  satisfaction  are  reflected  in  the  expression 
of  the  face  —  enhancing  the  personal  beauty  and  indirectly 
improving  the  skin  nutrition  and  the  complexion.  Again, 
faith  is  a  great  aid  in  promoting  all  those  functional  activities 
of  stomach  and  bowel,  upon  which  a  good  complexion  is  so 
dependent  for  its  continued  existence.  "  Cheer  up  and  grow 
beautiful"  is  practical  advice  which  contains  more  truth  than 
poetry. 

THE  SKIN   CIRCULATION 

When  the  mental  state  is  normal,  provided  the  blood  stream 
is  not  highly  toxic,  the  circulation  of  the  blood  through  the 
skin  is  usually  normal  and  fairly  vigorous.  On  examination, 
the  natural  skin  is  found  to  be  supple,  elastic,  slightly  oily,  and 
warm.  After  fear  has  seized  the  mind  and  chronic  worry  has 
begun  its  deadly  work,  the  cutaneous  circulation  begins  grad- 
ually to  diminish,  the  skin  loses  its  natural  elasticity,  and  soon 
becomes  dry,  leathery,  and  cold  to  the  touch.  The  sufferer 
soon  begins  to  experience  chilly  sensations  and  other  abnormal 
skin  feelings,  due  to  deficient  blood  movement  through  the 
skin.  Fear  damages  the  health  of  the  skin  by  its  power  to  in- 
terfere with  the  nutritional  nerves  as  well  as  by  its  power, 
spasmodically,  to  contract  the  small  blood  vessels,  thereby 
greatly  lessening  the  normal  circulation  of  the  blood  through  the 
cutaneous  capillaries. 

Thousands  of  pale-skinned  and  anjemic  persons  suffering 
from  indigestion,  headache,  and  habitually  cold  hands  and 
feet,  would  be  wonderfully  and  immediately  helped  if  they 
could  but  discover  the  secret  of  happiness  and  the  source  of 
moral  peace. 

The  skin  circulation  is  a  highly  important  item  in  the  general 
health.  When  indigestion,  bad  temper,  and  a  dozen  other  phys- 
ical and  temperamental  disorders  are  laid  at  the  door  of  "  poor 
circulation,"  it  should  be  remembered  that  many  cases  of  so- 
called  sluggish  circulation  are  wholly  or  partially  due  to  mental 
influences. 


INFLUENCE  OF  MIND  ON  SKIN  211 

CUTANEOUS  ACTIVITY 

When  the  mind  and  the  nervous  system  are  in  that  natural 
state  characterized  by  good  cheer  and  hopefulness,  all  the  various 
functions  of  the  skin  are  normal  and  active ;  the  sense  of  touch 
or  physical  feeling,  the  action  of  the  various  glands,  and,  as  will 
be  noticed  later,  the  heat-regulating  mechanism  of  the  skin,  all 
carry  on  their  work  in  a  natural  and  normal  manner.  On  the 
other  hand,  despondency  and  depression  never  fail  to  react  unfa- 
vorably on  the  skin,  lessening  its  healthy  activities  and  rendering 
it  more  sluggish. 

The  skin  is  one  of  the  important  eliminative  organs  of  the 
body.  The  psychic  state,  by  its  influence  through  the  nerves 
and  upon  the  circulation,  is  able  very  markedly  to  interfere  with 
the  normal  process  of  elimination  through  the  glands  of  the 
skin.  Faith  undoubtedly  assists  in  skin  elimination,  while  fear 
unquestionably  hinders  and  hampers  the  process.  As  a  result  of 
deficient  cutaneous  elimination  and  its  accompanying  lack  of 
circulation,  it  is  proverbial  that  all  anaemic  and  pale-skinned 
people  are  more  or  less  prone  to  colds,  headaches,  and  other 
minor  maladies. 

By  interfering  with  the  healthy  activities  of  the  skin,  the  fear 
mind  is  also  able  to  lessen  the  prompt  elimination  of  certain 
harmful  poisons  which  are  normally  thrown  out  of  the  organism 
through  the  action  of  the  pores  of  the  external  covering  of  the 
body.  Deficient  elimination  of  these  special  poisons  results  in 
their  accumulation  in  the  blood  stream,  thereby  subjecting  the 
brain  to  increased  irritation  as  these  harmful  substances  circulate 
through  it.  Thus  we  discover  another  of  those  **  vicious  circles  " 
in  which  the  mind  deranges  the  body,  and  is  in  turn  further 
disordered  by  the  mischief  of  its  own  creating. 

LOCAL  BLOOD  SUPPLY 

In  order  to  prevent  internal  congestion  it  is  highly  important 
that  the  skin  should  constantly  be  kept  well  supplied  with  blood. 
If  the  skin  is  allowed  to  become  anaemic,  some  internal  organ 
will  certainly  become  proportionately  congested.  A  tranquil 
mental  state  favors  an  even  and  equal  distribution  of  blood 
throughout  the  skin  and  this  results  in  producing  warm  hands 
and  feet;  while  fear,  by  its  power  to  produce  spasmodic  con- 


212       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

traction  of  the  blood  vessels  in  the  skin,  greatly  demoralizes 
the  circulation,  disturbing  the  equilibrium  of  the  blood  supply, 
and  almost  invariably  producing  cold  hands  and  feet. 

This  peculiar  power  of  the  mind  to  disturb  the  local  blood 
supply  is  most  markedly  illustrated  by  the  common  phenom- 
enon of  blushing.  As  the  blood  is  moving  through  the 
capillaries  imbedded  in  the  skin  of  the  face,  the  little  arterioles 
are  in  a  state  of  partial  contraction,  thus  their  muscular  tone 
regulates  ^nd  limits  the  amount  of  blood  which  they  are  able 
to  hold  at  any  given  moment.  Now,  let  the  mind  suddenly 
be  overwhelmed  with  profound  fear  or  surcharged  with  extreme 
anger;  the  nerves  leading  to  the  muscles  in  the  walls  of  these 
small  arteries  (the  vasoconstrictor  nerves)  are  able  to  produce 
a  sudden  spasm  of  the  capillaries,  the  blood  flow  is  greatly  les- 
sened, and  the  sufferer  is  described  as  becoming  "  pale  with 
fright,"  "  white  in  the  face,"  or  "  as  white  as  a  sheet."  On  the 
other  hand,  if  instead  of  becoming  unusually  frightened,  he  is 
merely  embarrassed  or  suddenly  confused,  another  set  of  nerves 
is  brought  into  play,  which  likewise  are  connected  with  the 
muscles  of  the  small  blood  vessels,  and  known  as  the  vasodil- 
ator nerves.  They  have  power  to  interfere  with  —  to  inhibit  — 
the  contracting  impulses  of  the  vasoconstrictors,  and  their 
excitation  accordingly  results  in  a  sudden  relaxation  and  dila- 
tation of  the  arterioles,  which  permits  of  a  sudden  inrush  of 
the  red  blood,  and  this  produces  the  phenomenon  of  blushing. 
Such  embarrassed  or  baffled  individuals  are  sometimes  described 
as  being  "  as  red  in  the  face  as  a  beet." 

The  nerves  and  circulatory  mechanism  involved  in  blushing 
are  further  illustrated  in  the  common  phenomenon  observed  in 
gymnasiums  when  stripped  athletes  are  engaged  in  strenuous 
competitive  exercises.  Just  at  the  point  of  complete  exhaus- 
tion, when  the  heart  is  under  tremendous  strain,  the  nervous 
system  automatically  opens  the  safety-valve,  or  floodgates,  of 
the  skin  circulation,  all  the  cutaneous  blood  vessels  are  imme- 
diately relaxed,  and  the  entire  skin  surface  is  observed  sud- 
denly to  blush,  literally  to  glow  with  increased  blood  supply; 
and  thus  the  heart  is  saved  from  over-dilatation  as  a  result  of 
this  excessive  muscular  effort 


INFLUENCE  OF  MIND  ON  SKIN  213 

THE   SWEAT   GLANDS 

The  cheerful  mental  state  favors  a  healthy  activity  on  the 
part  of  the  sweat  glands;  the  perspiration  is  normal,  more  or 
less  unconscious,  regularly  and  evenly  poured  out  upon  the 
skin  surface.  Mental  disturbances  of  any  sort  interfere  with 
the  normal  action  of  the  perspiratory  function.  Sudden  fear 
produces  a  spasmodic  action  of  the  sweat  glands,  cold  sweat 
appearing  almost  instantly,  sometimes  standing  out  like  beads 
on  certain  parts  of  the  body.  This  perspiration  is  cold  merely 
because  the  skin  is  pale  and  blanched,  relatively  bloodless;  and 
this  permits  the  sweat  glands  to  produce  perspiration  that  is 
much  below  the  normal  temperature.  While  sudden  fear  pro- 
duces this  phenomenon,  chronic  fear  or  worry  has  a  tendency 
continuously  to  check  the  action  of  the  sweat  glands,  to  diminish 
the  perspiration.  Persons  in  a  healthy  mental  state  perspire 
much  more  easily  than  do  the  victims  of  despair  and  despond- 
ency. When  one  is  worried  it  is  much  more  difficult  to  sweat 
freely,  and  therefore  much  more  dangerous  to  exert  oneself 
during  the  heated  season. 

Some  physiologists  maintain  that  the  secretion  of  sweat  and 
the  behavior  of  the  sweat  glands  may  occur  quite  independently 
of  the  cutaneous  circulation.  It  is  claimed  that  the  perspira- 
tory activities  are  under  direct  contral  of  certain  nerves  which 
are  able  either  to  increase  or  diminish  the  output  of  the  sweat 
glands.  This  would  account  for  the  immediate  effects  of  the 
emotions  on  the  sweating  process,  and  also  afford  some  explan- 
ation of  the  well-known  fact  that  those  who  are  subject  to 
worry  are  also  much  more  subject  to  heat  prostration  and  sun- 
stroke. It  is  certain  that  cheerful  persons  stand  hot  weather 
better  than  do  the  dissatisfied  and  the  despondent. 

ELECTRICAL-REACTION  AREA 

In  recent  years  certain  delicate  and  precise  electrical  contri- 
vances have  been  perfected  which  are  able  to  recognize  and 
register  the  very  minute  electrical  changes  which  are  con- 
stantly taking  place  on  the  surface  of  the  human  body.  When 
the  larger  part  of  the  skin  surface  is  exposed,  and  the  mental 
state  rapidly  and  markedly  changed,  it  is  observed  that  the 
electrical  reaction  of  the  body  also  changes.     Such  changes  in 


214       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

the  electrical  state  of  the  body  can  be  detected  and  measured 
quite  a  distance  from  the  body  —  even  as  far  as  nine  or  ten 
feet. 

Under  conditions  of  faith,  courage,  and  optimism,  it  has 
been  found  that  such  electrical  measurements  are.  usually  posi- 
tive, while  fear  and  depression  seldom  fail  to  register  neg- 
ative. It  would  appear  that  the  body  itself  is  able  to  generate 
some  force  —  some  kind  of  electricity  —  which  can  thus  be 
measured  and  studied.  It  also  seems  reasonably  certain  that 
the  mental  state  is  able  to  modify  or  entirely  change  the  gen- 
eration and  manifestation  of  this  force ;  the  natural  and  normal 
mental  state  registering  a  positive  reaction,  while  a  depressed 
and  abnormal  state  of  mind  registers  a  negative  reaction. 

NUTRITION   OF  THE  SKIN 

There  are  many  influences  connected  with  the  nutrition  of 
the  skin  besides  those  of  a  mental  nature,  nevertheless,  the 
mind  exerts  a  great  influence  over  the  health  of  the  skin.  Se- 
vere attacks  of  boils  have  been  directly  traced  to  worry.  While 
faith  increases  the  circulation  of  the  skin  and  favors  a  natural 
growth  of  hair,  fear  is  directly  to  blame  for  many  cases  of 
baldness  following  nervous  strain  and  worry. 

The  hair  may  be  turned  gray  or  white  in  a  few  hours  as  a 
result  of  profound  fear  or  great  anxiety.  Many  such  cases  are 
on  record.  The  possibility  of  the  hair  turning  gray  over  night 
has  been  doubted  by  some  writers.  The  following  case  is  from 
the  author's  own  clinic :  The  patient,  a  boy  eleven  years  old,  was 
subject  to  attacks  of  great  fear  —  sometimes  over  trivial  cir- 
cumstances. His  mother  was  suddenly  taken  sick,  removed  to 
the  hospital,  ^nd  kept  there  for  about  two  weeks.  When  the 
mother  went  to  the  hospital  the  boy's  hair  was  apparently  per- 
fectly normal  and  natural  in  color.  Upon  her  return  from  the 
hospital,  his  hair  was  decidedly  gray.  Shortly  after  this,  when 
the  lad  was  brought  to  the  author's  clinic,  his  hair  had  complete- 
ly turned  —  every  hair  was  gray,  some  decidedly  white.  The 
neighbors  with  whom  the  boy  was  left  reported  that  while  he 
grieved  and  worried  over  the  absence  of  his  mother,  the  change 
in  the  color  of  his  hair  occurred  during  a  single  night,  after  he 
had  been  badly  frightened  by  the  burning  out  of  a  motor  on  a 


INFLUENCE  OF  MIND  ON  SKIN  215 

crowded  trolley  car  on  which  he  chanced  to  be  a  passenger. 
This  is  at  least  one  case  in  which  the  author  is  fully  satisfied 
the  hair  was  turned  gray  by  fright  and  fear.  Careful  inves- 
tigation corroborated  the  mother's  story  at  every  point.  There 
was  no  opportunity  in  this  case  to  be  fooled  by  supposing  a  sick 
man  to  be  turning  gray  just  because  he  had  been  forced  to  dis- 
continue his  secret  practice  of  dyeing  his  prematurely  white 
locks. 

CUTANEOUS   SENSATION   AND   ERUPTIONS 

While  faith  heightens  the  sensibilities  of  the  skin,  it  does 
not  render  them  oversensitive.  Fear  greatly  demoralizes  the 
skin  sensations,  sometimes  rendering  them  so  abnormal  as  to 
exhibit  false  sensations  of  pricking,  burning,  or  itching.  Even 
actual  pain  has  been  produced  by  purely  psychic  stimuli. 

Certain  patients  are  able  to  produce  actual  blisters,  due  wholly 
to  mental  influences.  That  serious  disease,  angioneurotic 
oedema,  which  so  markedly  affects  the  skin,  is  now  known  to  be 
largely  a  disorder  resulting  from  anxiety  and  worry.  Papules 
sometimes  quickly  make  their  appearance  after  nervous  excita- 
tion and  mental  disturbance.  Blisters  have  been  raised  on  the 
skin  of  nervous  patients  by  merely  applying  a  wet  cloth  or  an 
adhesive  plaster;  at  least  in  one  case,  by  merely  sticking  on  a 
postage  stamp.  Numerous  skin  diseases  are  observed  to  grow 
worse  under  the  influence  of  mental  strain  and  worry. 

Whatever  may  be  the  influence  of  the  mind  in  causing  warts, 
it  seems  probable  that  the  mental  state  has,  in  some  cases,  had 
much  to  do  with  their  removal.  If  the  mind  has  no  power  over 
these  peculiar  growths,  it  remains  exceedingly  difficult  to  ac- 
count for  the  success  of  numerous  silly  and  foolish  methods  of 
curing  them. 

Suggestion  has  produced  skin  eruptions,  papules,  local  con- 
gestion, and  even  actual  nose-bleed.  The  author  once  saw  a 
nervous  hysterical  patient  who  could  cause  her  skin  to  be  lit- 
erally covered  with  small  eruptions  within  a  very  short  time, 
and  in  like  manner,  could  effect  their  disappearance  on  short 
order  —  all  of  which  was  evidently  the  work  of  the  nervous 
system  and  the  mental  state. 

Sometime  ago  the  author  undertook  5tn  elaborate  series  of 


2i6       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

experiments  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  to  just  what  extent 
healthy  persons  could,  by  continuous  concentration  and  auto- 
suggestion, influence  the  sensations  and  feelings  of  different 
parts  of  the  body.  It  was  found  that  persons  differ  widely  in 
their  ability  to  modify  the  skin  sensation,  but  practically  all 
are  able  profoundly  to  change  the  normal  sensation  of  any 
part  of  the  body  on  which  the  mind  may  be  stiongly  concen- 
trated. In  some  cases  complete  or  relative  anaesthesia  was  pro- 
duced; in  others  burning,  itching,  tingling,  pricking,  numbness, 
coldness,  together  with  various  nondescript  feelings,  such  as 
crawling  and  creeping  sensations. 

TEMPERATURE    SENSE 

The  sensations  of  heat  and  cold  are  entirely  based  on  the 
reports  furnished  by  the  temperature  nerves  resident  in  the  skin. 
When  faith  dominates  the  mind,  the  temperature  sense  of  the 
skin  carries  on  its  work  after  the  natural,  normal  fashion. 
Fear  never  fails  to  derange  this  important  part  of  the  heat- 
regulating  mechanism.  Fear  and  fright  are  able  to  produce 
actual  goose-flesh  appearance  of  the  skin.  Mental  disturb- 
ances have  been  shown  to  be  able  wholly  or  partially  to  abolish 
the  sensations  of  heat  and  cold.  The  appearance  of  goose- 
flesh  from  psychic  stimuli  constitutes  ample  proof  of  the  direct 
power  of  the  mind  over  involuntary  or  unstriped  muscle.  (See 
thermo-electric  experiments  in  Chap.  XXIII,  page  246.) 

THE  PROCESS  OF  HEAT  REGULATION  * 

The  human  body  is  able  to  maintain  a  constantly  uniform 
temperature  between  98  degrees  and  99  degrees  F.,  because  of 
a  most  wonderful  combination  of  nervous  and  circulatory  in- 
fluences, known  in  physiology  as  the  heat-regulating  mechanism. 
There  are  probably  few  vital  functions  of  the  body  that  are 
so  highly  subject  to  nervous  influences  as  this  process  of  heat 
regulation. 

Sensation  of  cold  —  chills.  Faith  and  courage  are  actually 
able  to  lessen  the  sense  of  cold.  The  same  temperature  appears 
colder  when  the  mind  is  discouraged  and  the  spirits  are  de- 
pressed. A  pleasant  frame  of  mind  decreases  not  only  common 
chilly  sensations,  but  is  also  able  to  prevent  certain  chills,  or  to 
lessen  their  severity.    On  the  other  hand,  it  is  a  well-known 


INFLUENCE  OF  MIND  ON  SKIN  217 

fact  that  acute  fright  is  able  to  produce  bona  fide  chills.  When 
seized  by  profound  fear,  many  persons  will  shake  from  head  to 
foot.  They  are  seized  with  a  veritable  paroxysm.  That  the 
mind  is  able  greatly  to  modify  the  sensations  of  heat  and  cold 
is  shown  by  the  experience  which  nearly  all  of  us  have  passed 
through:  that  of  going  up  to  a  stove  in  some  public  place  on  a 
cold  day,  and  after  warming  ourselves  to  a  comfortable  degree, 
making  the  discovery  that  there  was  no  fire  in  the  stove.  The 
author  has  had  this  experience  two  or  three  times  in  the  last 
few  years,  and  it  is  quite  difficult  to  explain  just  how  cheap  one 
feels  on  making  the  discovery  that  he  has  been  thus  tricked  by 
his  own  imagination. 

Fever.  Faith  and  courage  possess  the  power  within  certain 
limits  to  prevent  and  lessen  fever,  while  fear  undoubtedly  is 
able  both  to  produce  and  increase  fever.  We  have  seen  numer- 
ous cases  where  the  temperature  was  actually  raised  by  nervous 
fear.  Fever  is  but  an  unnatural  production  and  retention  of 
heat  in  the  body,  and  can  sometimes  be  equally  produced  by 
decreased  heat  elimination  on  the  part  of  the  skin. 

The  mind  is  not  able  to  produce  an  abnormally  high  tem- 
perature, but  may  also  produce  a  more  or  less  sub-normal  tem- 
perature. That  this  can  be  done  is  shown  in  the  case  of  the 
man  who  discovered  an  old  woman  stealing  his  wood  one  night. 
The  wood  thief  on  being  detected  proceeded  to  denounce  the 
■man  in  no  uncertain  terms,  and  at  last,  and  in  the  most  dra- 
matic fashion  declared :  "  You  will  never  be  warm  again.  You 
will  never  be  warm.  You  will  freeze  up.  You  will  never  be 
warm  again  as  long  as  you  live."  And  it  is  a  matter  of  record, 
that  from  that  moment  this  man  went  into  a  state  of  chronic 
chilliness,  and  although  he  lived  for  twenty  years,  practically  all 
this  time  he  spent  under  blankets  trying  to  keep  warm. 

Thermo-electric  body  temperature.  This  test  is  made  by 
means  of  delicate  electrical  machinery  which  is  very  sensitive 
even  to  very  slight  changes  in  the  temperature  of  the  body. 
When  the  mind  is  free  and  easy  it  is  found  to  be  normal  or 
negative.  When  the  mind  is  filled  with  worry  or  fear,  when 
even  the  attention  is  vigorously  concentrated,  this  device  shows 
a  positive  increase  in  temperature.    When  our  courage  is  good 


2i8       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 


and  our  spirits  are  high  we  feel  the  cold  of  exposure  much  less. 
Discouragement  unfailingh-  increases  the  suffering  and  hard- 
ship of  long-continued  exposure  to  cold.  One  is  much  more 
likely  to  chill  from  exposure  when  he  is  out  of  sorts  and  wor- 
ried. After  a  day  of  more  or  less  mental  activity  all  fever 
patients  exhibit  a  decided  rise  of  temperature.  Visiting  seldom 
fails  to  increase  the  fever  in  such  patients. 

Among  the  subjects  employed  for  a  series  of  experiments 
was  a  young  woman  who  could  voluntarily  raise  her  tempera- 
ture a  degree  or  a  degree  and  a»  half  by  simply  making  up  her 
mind  so  to  do  and  at  the  same  time  slightly  stiffening  her  body. 
Her  musculature  became  quite  rigid,  while  her  skin  approached 
goose-flesh  appearance  —  always  pale  and  cool.  It  would  thus 
appear  that  this  woman  was  able  to  raise  her  temperature  by 
increased  heat  production  in  the  muscles,  coupled  with  decreased 
heat  elimination  by  way  of  the  skin. 

Comparative  Summary  of  the  Effects  of  Faith  and  Fear 
ON  THE  Skin  and  the  Heat-regulating  Mechanism 


faith 

1.  Complexion:  Ruddy,  heal- 
thy, and  natural. 

2.  Circulation:  Normal  —  warm. 

3.  Activity:  Vigorous  —  normal. 

4.  Local  blood  supply:  Regular 
and  even  distribution.  Warm 
hands  and  feet. 

5.  Perspiration:  Active  and  nor- 
mal.     Elimination    increased. 

6.  Electrical-reaction  area:  Posi- 
tive at  nine  feet  from  the 
body. 

7.  Nutrition:  Increases.  Pro- 
motes  natural  hair  growth. 

S.  Sensation:  Normal  and 
acute.  Prevents  abnormal 
feeling. 

9,  Skin  diseases:  Prevents,  and 
aids  in  removing. 


fear 


Pale   and 


1.  Complexion: 
anaemic. 

2.  Circulation:       Poor  —  chilly. 

3.  Activity:     Sluggish. 

4.  Local  blood  supply:  Spas- 
modic and  disturbed.  Cold 
hands  and  feet. 

5.  Perspiration:  Checked. 
Elimination    decreased. 

6.  E  lee  trie  al-r  e  a  c  t  io  n  area : 
Negative  at  nine  feet  from 
the  body. 

7.  Nutrition:  Lessens.  Pro- 
duces gray  hair  and  baldness. 

8.  Sensation:  Abnormal.  Pro- 
duces itching  and  pain. 

9.  Skin  diseases:  Produces,  and 
increases  severity. 


INFLUENCE  OF  MIND  ON  SKIN 


219 


FAITH 

10.  Temperature  sense:  Natural 
and  normal. 

11.  Sensation  of  cold:    Lessened. 

12.  Chills:  Lessened  and  pre- 
vented. 

13.  Fever:  Prevented  and  les- 
sened. 

14.  Thermo-electric  body  tem- 
perature: Negative  (normal) 
when  the  mind  is  free  and 
easy. 


FEAR 

10.  Temperature  sense:  De- 
ranged.    Goose-flesh. 

11.  Sensation  of  cold:   Increased. 

12.  Chills:     Produced  by  fright. 

13.  Fever:  Produced  and  in- 
creased. 

14.  Thermo-electric  body  tem- 
perature: Shows  increased 
temperature  when  the  atten- 
tion is  concentrated. 


CHAPTER    XXI 

THE  EFFECT  OF  THE  MENTAL  STATE  UPON  THE 
PHYSICAL   BRAIN 

The  brain  circulation. —  Brain  action. —  Brain  rest. — 
Brain  fatigue. —  Brain  energy. —  Brain  strength. — 
Brain  endurance. —  Hypochondria. —  Apoplexy  and  brain 
DISEASES. —  Comparative  summary  of  the  effects  of  faith 

AND  fear  on   the   BRAIN. 

THE  brain  is  a  physical  organ  —  the  special  instrument  of 
the  mind  —  and,  as  would  be  expected,  its  physical  condi- 
tion is  largely  under  the  control  of  the  mental  state.  Here  again 
we  meet  another  of  those  "  vicious  circles,"  so  often  encountered 
in  the  study  of  the  interactions  and  reactions  between  psy- 
chology and  physiology.  The  mind  is  able  to  disturb  the 
physical  state  and  functional  behavior  of  the  brain,  and  in  turn 
the  mind  itself  is  disordered  and  diseased  as  the  result  of  these 
various  disturbances  of  brain  function. 

THE   BRAIN    CIRCULATION 

The  maintenance  of  a  natural,  tranquil  mental  state  is  the 
chief  factor  in  promoting  a  normal  flow  of  blood  through  the 
vessels  of  the  brain.  Faith  favors  a  healthy  and  regular  circu- 
lation throughout  the  entire  brain.  Fear,  on  the  other  hand, 
predisposes  to  cerebral  congestions  and  headaches;  while 
chronic  worry  may  so  congest  the  brain  and  so  disorder  its 
circulation  as  to  lead  to  actual  insomnia. 

Too  little  blood  in  the  brain  may  interfere  with  intellectual 
activity,  while  active  congestion  with  its  increasea  flow  of 
blood  through  the  vessels,  as  in  the  early  stages  of  alcoholic 
intoxication,  greatly  excites  certain  brain  centres,  such  as  the 
talking  centre.  On  the  other  hand,  it  should  be  remembered 
that  chronic  congestion  —  long-continued  engorgement  of  the 

220 


EFFECT  OF  MENTAL  STATE  ON  BRAIN        221 

blood  vessels  of  the  brain  —  results  in  depressing  the  mental 
activities,  disordering  the  mind,  producing  abnormal  sensa- 
tions ranging  from  a  sense  of  "  fulness "  up  to  severe  and 
distressing  headaches. 

The  proper  working  of  the  intellect  is  largely  dependent  on 
the  maintenance  of  a  well-balanced  circulation  through  the 
brain ;  and  this  in  turn  is  dependent  not  only  on  certain  physical 
conditions,  but  also  on  the  state  of  the  mind,  which  has  been 
shown  to  exert  such  a  tremendous  influence  over  the  circula- 
tion of  the  blood  in  other  vital  organs  of  the  body.  If  the 
circulation  is  poor  and  sluggish  and  the  hands  and  feet  are  cold, 
the  brain  is  one  of  the  first  organs  to  be  likely  to  suffer  from 
congestion. 

In  case  of  chronic  worry  the  blood-pressure  is  greatly  raised 
and  the  increased  force  of  the  blood  circulating  through  the 
small  arteries  of  the  brain  exerts  a  powerful  influence  toward 
hardening  these  arteries,  and  in  this  way  the  foundation  is  laid 
for  their  rupture  later  in  life. —  apoplexy  and  its  consequent 
paralysis.  On  the  other  hand,  mental  influences  which  are  able 
to  diminish  the  cerebral  blood  supply  by  fluctuations  in  the  brain 
circulation,  are  capable  of  working  untold  mischief.  It  should 
be  remembered  that  one-fifth  of  the  total  blood  volume  goes  to 
the  brain.  Cheerfulness  dilates  and  flushes  the  blood  vessels  of 
the  cortex  of  the  brain  and  so  stimulates  mental  action. 

BRAIN    ACTION 

Faith  promotes  those  physical  conditions  of  the  brain  which 
lend  themselves  to  clear  and  decisive  mental  action,  while  fear 
reacts  on  both  brain  and  mind,  to  the  disorder  of  one  and  the 
confusion  of  the  other.  Worry  invariably  beclouds  the  mental 
activities  and  renders  the  brain  action  more  or  less  sluggish. 
The  mental  activities  of  the  modern  civilized  races  have  become 
increasingly  intense.  To-day,  men  and  women  whose  brains  act 
promptly  and  decisively  are  at  a  premium.  The  care-free  and 
the  joyous  are  able  to  do  a  vast  amount  of  taxing  brain  work, 
experiencing  but  little  mental  fatigue;  whereas  the  victims  of 
grief  and  worry  find  themselves  on  the  verge  of  brain-fag  after 
engaging  in  the  most  ordinary  mental  activities. 

Common,   everyday  experience   demonstrates  that  both  the 


222       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

general  physical  health  and  the  general  state  of  the  mind  are 
largely  concerned  in  determining  the  amount  of  profitable  brain 
work  which  a  given  person  can  safely  and  satisfactorily  per- 
form. The  physical  brain  seems  to  be  able  to  execute  a 
phenomenal  amount  of  work  when  its  taskmaster,  the  mind, 
presides  over  it  in  the  beneficent  and  optimistic  moods  of  faith 
and  joy;  whereas  it  quickly  rebels  and  is  soon  fatigued  when 
its  mental  master  rules  it  in  the  pessimistic  role  of  fear,  grief, 
and  despondency. 

We  once  had  a  patient  whose  mind  had  almost  come  to  a 
standstill;  brain  action  was  far  below  par.  This  woman  had 
worried  and  fretted  for  years;  her  memory  was  very  poor,  and 
she  was  rapidly  losing  interest  in  life.  She  came  to  the  office 
one  day  thoroughly  startled.  Every  remaining  mental  power 
was  aroused  —  she  had  been  seized  with  suicidal  thoughts.  At 
last  she  was  aware  of  the  ruin  which  worry  had  wrought,  and 
she  nobly  rallied  her  every  force  of  mental  and  moral  resistance 
to  fight  and  overthrow  her  mental  enemies  —  worry,  grief,  and 
despondency.  Within  three  months  she  had  gained  almost 
a  complete  victory.  Her  mental  powers  practically  were  re- 
stored to  their  old-time  vigor,  her  memory  was  wonderfully 
strengthened,  and  her  intellectual  acumen  marvellously 
improved. 

BRAIN  REST 

In  every  way  faith  permits  and  favors  sound  and  refreshing 
sleep,  while  fear  and  worry  are  responsible  for  that  type  of 
unnatural  and  disturbed  rest  which  is  almost  invariably  asso- 
ciated with  mental  depression.  Grief  and  anxiety  are  able  so 
greatly  to  disturb  the  circulation  and  other  physical  conditions 
in  the  brain  as  temporarily  to  drive  away  the  ability  to  sleep. 
Not  only  is  a  disturbed  state  of  the  intellect  responsible  for  in- 
sufficient brain  rest  at  night,  but  it  also  prevents  the  proper 
rest  and  recuperation  of  the  brain  centres  during  the  waking 
hours.  Fear  seems  to  dominate  the  mind  with  a  tyrannical 
sway,  overworking  its  every  centre,  and  ultimately  reducing  the 
physical  brain  to  a  state  of  functional  slavery,  in  which  condi- 
tion it  is  compelled  to  engage  incessantly  in  useless  and 
extravagant  expenditure  of  energy,  out  of  mere  sympathy  with 
the  agitation  and  unrest  of  the  worry-attitude  of  the  mind. 


EFFECT  OF  MENTAL  STATE  ON  BRAIN        223 

Sleep  is  an  antidote  for  work  but  not  for  worry.  Both  mind 
and  body  are  able  to  work  hard  all  day  in  legitimate  physical 
and  intellectual  effort,  and  then  one  can  retire  at  night  confident 
of  securing  a  period  of  natural,  refreshing,  and  undisturbed 
rest,  with  the  assurance  of  waking  up  in  the  morning  com- 
pletely refreshed  in  mind  and  body.  It  is  not  so  with  the 
victims  of  worry.  They  retire  in  the  evening  knowing  that 
their  night's  rest  will  be  more  or  less  disturbed.  The  sleep  is 
broken  with  dreams  or  nightmares.  The  body  itself,  during 
the  night's  rest,  is  more  or  less  cramped  and  contracted.  The 
sleep  is  in  every  way  unnatural,  unsound,  and  unrefreshing. 
They  awake  in  the  morning  after  having  slept  eight,  nine,  or 
even  ten  hours,  with  a  feeling  of  utter  bodily  weakness  and 
general  physical  lassitude.  They  actually  feel  as  if  they  had 
been  mentally  tortured  and  physically  suffocated  throughout  the 
whole  night.  Neither  mind  nor  body  feels  fit  to  begin  anew  its 
work.  And  it  is  because  of  this  common  experience  on  the  part 
of  the  victims  of  fear  and  worry  that  we  reiterate :  Sleep  is  an 
antidote  for  work  but  not  for  worry. 

BRAIN  FATIGUE 

The  physical  brain  centres  are  wearied  with  work  just  as  the 
muscles  may  be  tired  out  by  physical  effort.  We  have  pre- 
viously shown  that  the  action  of  the  nerve  centres  is  dependent 
on  the  quantity  and  the  quality  of  the  energy  granules  which 
are  found  in  the  cell  bodies  of  the  neurons.  Fear  undoubtedly 
possesses  the  power  of  prematurely  discharging  and  extrava- 
gantly using  up  the  energy  reposed  in  these  so-called  energy 
granules.  It  has  been  conclusively  shown  that  the  victims  of 
fear  are  invariably  visited  with  premature  nervous  exhaustion 
and  untimely  mental  fatigue.  On  the  other  hand,  faith  seems  to 
be  able  to  conserve  these  vital  energies  of  the  nerve  centres. 
Faith  is  conducive  to  that  mental  state  which  permits  of  the 
even,  natural,  and  normal  expenditure  of  the  forces  contained  in 
these  energy  centres. 

Optimism  is  a  natural  conservator  of  nervous  energy.  Hap- 
piness is  the  secret  of  mental  and  nervous  economy.  The  joyous 
soul  can  perform  twice  the  mind  and  body  work  with  but  one- 
half  the  expenditure  of  mental  and  physical  energy.     Faith  is 


224       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  "AND  FEAR 

able  to  operate  the  mental  powers  and  the  bodily  machinery  on 
less  than  one-half  the  fuel  and  energy  that  fear  requires  to 
effect  the  performance  of  the  same  intellectual  and  physical 
tasks. 

The  run-down,  neurasthenic  victims  of  brain-fag  have  usually 
been  transgressors  of  the  laws  of  mind  as  well  as  guilty  of 
breaking  the  laws  of  matter.  Mental  dissipation  as  well  as 
hygienic  transgression  usually  precedes  the  breaking  down  of 
the  nervous  powers  and  the  weakening  of  the  mental  forces. 
While  vice  and  intemperance  contribute  their  terrible  influence 
to  the  devitalizing  of  the  nervous  powers,  at  the  same  time  it 
must  be  recognized  that  many  of  the  victims  of  "  brain-storm  " 
and  brain-fag  have  brought  themselves  into  these  undesirable 
states  largely  by  allowing  the  mind  to  be  dominated  by  pro- 
longed fear  —  chronic  worry. 

BRAIN   ENERGY 

Faith  begets  mental  courage  and  energized  brain  action. 
Fear  lessens  both  the  mental  action  and  the  vigor  and  force  of 
the  brain  centres.  Faith  almost  invariably  inspires  one  to  find 
a  way  out  of  his  difficulties.  It  contributes  to  business  success, 
to  the  preservation  of  health,  even  to  the  regaining  of  lost 
health.  Every  man  who  has  achieved  success  by  his  own 
efforts  is  a  man  of  faith.  Optimism  is  the  capital  stock  of  the 
men  and  women  who  do  things.  At  his  best  the  pessimist  is, 
merely  a  barnacle  on  the  ship  of  civilization,  as  it  moves  on 
through  the  ocean  of  time. 

The  energy  with  which  a  student  can  pursue  his  studies,  a 
business  man  solve  his  problems,  or  a  professional  man  dis- 
charge his  duties,  is  determined  by  the  nature  of  the  thought 
which  dominates  the  mind.  Faith  and  fear  hold  the  secret  of 
power  and  success  in  all  matters  which  depend  upon  brain  energy 
and  mental  endurance. 

Several  years  ago  the  author  met  a  young  man  who  had  long 
suffered  from  chronic  nervous  prostration  —  brain-fag.  Medi- 
cine, various  baths,  and  other  treatment,  as  well  as  hypnotism, 
had  all  failed  to  help  him ;  at  least  they  had  afforded  no  perma- 
nent relief.  About  this  time  he  accidentally  drifted  into  a 
revival  meeting,  became  interested,  was  peculiarly  impressed, 


EFFECT  OF  MENTAL  STATE  ON  BRAIN        225 

convicted,  and  professed  conversion.  The  following  day  he 
attended  a  special  meeting  of  the  recent  converts,  where  he  was 
strongly  urged  to  begin  immediate  work  for  his  fellow  men. 
He  joined  the  ranks  of  the  volunteer  Christian  workers,  lost 
sight  of  himself,  and  began  earnest  work  for  his  old  acquaint- 
ances. This  patient  so  forgot  himself  and  his  old  infirmities 
that  in  ten  days  he  had  become  another  person ;  his  countenance 
and  entire  personality  had  been  changed.  He  became  cheerful, 
hopeful,  courageous,  and  happy.  It  is  needless  to  add  that  he 
was  cured  of  his  neurasthenia,  and  that  he  rapidly  gained  in 
flesh,  regained  his  former  mental  powers,  and  developed  an 
extraordinary  degree  of  brain  energy. 

Some  would,  no  doubt,  assign  some  of  these  improvements  to 
supernatural  influences,  and  that  such  was  the  case  the  author 
would  not  undertake  to  deny ;  but  that  the  physical  benefits  were 
largely  due  to  getting  his  mind  off  himself  and  engaging  in  Hn- 
selfish  work  for  others,  is  strongly  suggested  by  the  experience 
of  another  young  man  in  a  similar  forlorn  state.  This  youth 
about  the  same  time  became  an  ardent  socialist  —  so  devoted  to 
his  new  cause  that  he  delivered  speeches  on  the  street  corners. 
It  is  interesting  to  record  that  he  also  quickly  regained  his  men- 
tal energy,  outgrew  his  nervous  infirmities,  and  blossomed  out 
into  robust  health. 

BRAIN   STRENGTH 

Determination  and  perseverance  are  the  watchwords  of  those 
who  live  the  faith  life.  Vacillation  and  weakness  characterize 
the  victims  of  fear.  Faith  gives  birth  to  that  courage  which 
enables  one  to  surmount  his  obstacles  and  overcome  his  diffi- 
culties. Fear  compels  its  victims  to  surrender  in  confusion  and 
shamefacedly  accept  defeat. 

Faith  inspires  the  invalid  to  health  cultivation,  and  cheers  on 
the  sufferer  until  the  physical  battles  are  won  and  health  is 
regained.  Fear  increases  the  physical  sufferings,  prolongs  bodily 
disease,  and  ultimately  leads  to  health  despair.  Faith  is  a 
prophylactic  against  mental  tension,  nervous  breakdown,  and 
insanity;  while  fear  is  an  actual  cause  of  nervous  collapse, 
mental  insufficiency,  and,  in  many  instances,  lunacy.  Fear  un- 
failingly leads  the  way  to  failure,  defeat,  and  mental  collapse, 


226       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

and  ends  in  despair  of  overcoming  obstacles  or  regaining  the 
lost  blessings  of  prosperity  and  health. 

The  cortex  or  outer  portions  of  the  brain,  which  are  so 
largely  concerned  in  originating  the  controlling  impulses  that 
are  sent  out  over  the  nervous  system,  seem  to  possess  the  power 
actually  to  lessen  or  even  inhibit  pain  and  other  sensations  in 
various  parts  of  the  body.  It  has  been  fully  demonstrated  that 
the  mind  possesses  the  power  to  stop  pain.  Neuralgia  has  been 
cured  by  determined  and  persistent  mental  effort.  A  common 
illustration  of  the  power  of  the  mind  to  modify  pain  is  shown 
in  the  case  of  the  victim  of  a  distressing  toothache,  who,  as  he 
approaches  the  dentist's  office,  suddenly  discovers  the  toothache 
growing  less;  in  fact,  the  ache  has  so  nearly  disappeared  that 
he  decides  not  to  have  the  tooth  pulled  —  at  least  not  that  day. 

BRAIN    ENDURANCE 

The  brain  and  nervous  system  are  able  to  endure  enormous 
stress  and  successfully  stand  tremendous  strain,  when  the  mind 
is  dominated  by  faith.  Joy  strengthens  the  mind  to  the  per- 
formance of  unusual  feats ;  on  the  other  hand,  fear  demoralizes 
the  brain  powers,  rendering  them  insufficient  and  incapable 
of  standing  continuous  strain  and  performing  extraordinary 
tasks.  Fear  is  able  so  to  disorganize  the  mental  powers  and 
brain  centres  as  to  result  in  the  production  of  delusions,  hallu- 
cinations, and  other  serious  mental  disturbances. 

Strong-minded  people  are  usually  optimistic.  Weak-minded 
people,  as  a  rule,  are  pessimistic,  and  vice  versa.  Faith  makes 
it  possible  to  perform  intellectual  work  with  a  maximum  of 
mental  endurance  and  a  minimum  amount  of  brain  fatigue. 
Fear  so  shackles  its  victims  that  they  are  able  to  enjoy  but  a 
minimum  of  mental  endurance,  while  they  experience  a  maxi- 
mum of  nervous  fatigue  and  brain-fag. 

HYPOCHONDRIA 

Hypochondria  is  a  peculiar  disease,  or  rather  a  state  of  mind 
and  brain,  which  owes  its  existence  largely  to  fear.  Faith  en- 
ables us  to  take  a  normal  view  of  life  and  to  have  a  natural 
outlook  on  the  future.  Fear  is  suspicious  of  the  present  and 
distrustful  of  the  future.  Its  victims  are  unfailingly  apprehen- 
sive of  the  future.     Hypochondria  is  that  disorder  which  the 


EFFECT  OF  MENTAL  STATE  ON  BRAIN        227 

victims  of  worry  have,  when,  not  having  any  actual  physical 
malady,  they  believe  themselves  to  be  suffering  from  some  seri- 
ous and  insidious  disease.  In  other  words,  hypochondria  is  a 
disease  a  man  has  when  he  is  not  actually  physically  sick,  but 
mentally  believes  himself  to  be  suffering  from  some  grave,  bodily 
disorder. 

It  is  true,  physical  disturbances  of  the  circulation  or  of  the 
digestion  are  often  contributory  to  hypochondria;  in  fact,  most 
hypochondriacs  are  sick  both  in  mind  and  body,  but  the  mental 
state  is  usually  the  determining  factor.  Most  hypochondriacs 
would  speedily  recover  if  they  would  but  become  confirmed 
optimists.  Faith  is  the  important  remedy  and  the  essential  ele- 
ment in  the  cure  of  hypochondria.  In  this  unfortunate  and 
imaginary  disease  —  none  the  less  real  and  painful  in  its  effects 
because  it  is  imaginary  —  the  entire  brain  seems  to  be  dis- 
ordered; and  while  every  effort  should  be  made  toward  the 
improvement  of  the  bodily  state,  it  is  the  author's  experience  that 
recovery  seldom  takes  place  until  the  fear  life  is  abandoned  for 
the  joy  and  sunshine  of  the  faith  life. 

APOPLEXY   AND    BRAIN    DISEASES 

As  before  noted,  faith  possesses  an  actual  value  in  the  line 
of  preventing  apoplexy  and  other  brain  disorders  due  to  dis- 
turbances of  the  circulation  and  to  high  blood-pressure.  Fear 
is  an  unvarying  factor  in  producing  or  increasing  the  severity 
of  nearly  all  brain  diseases.  From  the  common,  everyday 
headache,  which  may  result  from  the  temporary  disturbance  of 
the  cerebral  circulation,  to  the  production  and  growth  of  various 
brain  tumors,  the  mental,  state  must  be  recognized  as  a  con- 
tributing factor  in  by  far  the  majority  of  these  disorders. 

Fear  is  able  not  infrequently  to  counterfeit  grave,  physical 
diseases.  It  is  now  well-known  that  we  may  have  fear  hydro- 
phobia. Nervous  and  hysterical  persons  who  are  bitten  by 
dogs  supposed  to  be  mad  are  frequently  attacked  by  false  rabies. 
No  doubt,  in  cases  where  the  supposed  mad  dogs  have  been 
killed,  many  victims  have  died  from  this  fictitious  form  of 
hydrophobia.  Fear,  by  its  distressing  influence  over  the  nervous 
system  and  the  circulation,  also  exerts  a  powerful  influence 
producing,  actual  sunstroke. 


228       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 


Comparative  Summary  of  the  Effects  of  Faith  and  Fear 
ON  the  Brain 


faith 

1.  Circulation:       Normal     and 
regular. 

2.  Action:     Clear,  decisive,  and 
energetic. 

3.  Rest:     Sleep   sound  and  re- 
freshing. 

4.  Fatigue:    Rests  the  mind. 

5.  Energy:     Begets  courage  and 
action. 

6.  Strength:     Determination  to 
regain   and  preserve  health. 

7.  Endurance:     Strengthens  the 
mind. 

8.  Hypochondria:      Prevents. 

9.  Apoplexy:     Prevents. 


fear 

1.  Circulation:      Congestion, 
headache,  and  insomnia. 

2.  Action:     Confused  and   dis- 
ordered. 

3.  Rest:     Sleep   unnatural   and 
disturbed. 

4.  Fatigue:    Produces  brain-fag. 

5.  Energy:     Lessens  action  and 
vigor. 

6.  Strength:     Ends  in  despond- 
ency and  health  despair. 

7.  Endurance:    Leads  to  decep- 
tion and   delusions. 

8.  Hypochondria:      Produces. 

9.  Apoplexy:   Favors. 


CHAPTER    XXII 

THE  EFFECT  OF  THE  MIND  AND  THE  EMOTIONS  ON 
THE  NERVOUS  SYSTEM 

Nervous  control. —  Nervous  strength. —  Faith  superior  to 
VACATION. —  Nervous  energy. —  The  trophic  nerves. — 
Nervous  equilibrium. —  Convulsions  and  epilepsy. — 
Nervous  paralysis. —  Psychic  cures  of  paralytics. —  The 

SENSATION   OF  PAIN. —  PaIN   NOT  WHOLLY  SUBJECT  TO  MIND. 

General    nervousness. —  Comparative    summary    of    the 

EFFECTS  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR  OF  THE  NERVOUS  SYSTEM, 

THE  nervous  system  is  the  immediate  servant  of  the  mind, 
indeed,  it  is  quite  impossible  to  discuss  mind  and  nervous 
system,  the  one  separate  and  apart  from  the  other.  We  cannot 
possibly  present  a  picture  of  the  influence  of  the  mind  over  the 
nervous  system  as  we  have  endeavored  to  detail  the  influence  of 
the  mind  over  the  various  other  bodily  organs  and  physical 
mechanisms.  It  was  quite  difficult  clearly  to  show  the  effect  of 
the  mental  state  on  the  brain  —  the  great  centre  and  head- 
quarters of  the  voluntary  nervous  system.  It  will  be  still  more 
difficult  to  show  the  actual  influence  of  the  mind  upon  the 
physical  mechanism  of  the  nerves. 

The  rider  and  his  horse  as  they  dash  by,  present  the  spectacle 
of  a  single  phenomenon,  nevertheless,  the  rider  is  all  the  while 
controlling  the  action  and  directing  the  behavior  of  the  horse; 
and  so,  while  mind  and  nervous  system  in  some  respects  present 
the  picture  of  being  a  single  influence  or  mechanism,  they  are, 
nevertheless,  entirely  separate  and  distinct.  Mind  and  nerve 
sustain  the  same  relation  to  each  other  that  the  rider  does  to 
his  horse.  The  mind  is  the  controlling  power  —  the  directing 
influence,  presiding  over  the  nervous  system  —  using  the  nerv- 
ous system  as  its  messenger,  as  a  means  of  directing,  controlling, 

229 


230       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

and  influencing  every  part  of  the  body,  from  the  tiniest  cell  to 
the  greatest  vital  organ,  from  the  most  minute  secretory  gland 
to  the  most  magnificent  and  elaborate  physical  mechanism.  It 
will  therefore  be  the  purpose  of  this  chapter  to  point  out  how 
the  respective  states,  faith  and  fear,  are  able  to  modify  and 
influence  the  behavior  of  the  nervous  system  in  the  performance 
of  its  customary  work. 

NERVOUS  CONTROL 

Faith  increases  the  power  of  the  mind  to  control  the  nervous 
system  evenly  and  continuously.  Self-possession  steadies  the 
nerves.  Fear  weakens  the  mind's  control  of  the  nervous  system, 
unsteadies  the  nerves,  and  in  some  cases  produces  actual  tre- 
mors. Many  cases  of  so-called  neurasthenia  are  entirely  due  to 
an  unsettled  and  abnormal  state  of  the  intellect.  If  such  patients 
could  only  focus  their  minds  on  something  outside  of  themselves 
and  busy  their  hands  with  some  useful  and  agreeable  work, 
they  would  almost  immediately  find  themselves  relieved  of  their 
distressing  nervous  affliction. 

Embarrassment,  mental  frustration,  and  the  teasing  of  chil- 
dren, all  have  a  tendency  to  produce  nervousness  on  the  part  of 
certain  abnormal  and  neurotic  persons.  Chorea  or  St.  Vitus's 
dance  owes  many  of  its  nervous  manifestations  to  the  mental 
state;  in  fact,  in  the  successful  management  of  this  distressing 
malady,  it  is  usually  necessary  to  remove  the  child  from  school 
and  its  social  surroundings  —  to  take  it  to  the  country  where  it 
will  be  free  from  mental  embarrassment  and  nervous  strain. 
On  the  other  hand,  there  is  observed  a  marked  improvement  in 
some  choreic  patients  following  an  effort  to  strengthen  their 
will-power  and  focus  their  control  over  muscular  movements. 

We  recall  the  case  of  a  young  girl  who,  after  remaining  away 
from  her  friends  one  entire  summer  and  autumn  on  a  farm, 
showed  but  little  improvement.  The  following  spring  she  re- 
fused to  return  to  the  country.  She  said  she  was  truly  disgusted 
with  herself;  she  wanted  to  try  relaxation;  and  if  that  did  not 
work,  she  would  control  her  muscles  even  if  she  could  n't  relax. 
In  three  weeks'  time  this  girl  did  more  for  herself  by  her  own 
mental  effort  than  had  been  done  for  her  in  six  months  of 
treatment  and  isolation.     She  was  determined  to  control  her 


EFFECT  OF  MIND  ON  NERVOUS  SYSTEM      231 

muscles.  She  was  possessed  with  the  idea  that  sh«  could  do  it, 
and  she  did  do  it.  When  we  questioned  her  to  ascertain  whether 
she  accomplished  her  purpose  by  relaxation  or  by  concentration, 
she  laughed  and  replied,  "  I  am  sure  I  don't  know  how  I  did  it. 
I  just  did  it,  don't  you  see  ?  " 

It  is  not  always  necessary  for  us  to  know  just  how  we  do 
things.  We  are  more  or  less  ignorant  of  many  common  physio- 
logical functions  and  ordinary  psychological  processes  which 
constantly  take  place  in  our  bodies;  but  this  one  fact  is  well 
established,  that  faith  and  confidence  steady  the  nerves  —  en- 
able one  more  fully,  completely,  and  accurately  to  direct  all  the 
voluntary  functions  and  movements  of  the  body. 

NERVOUS  STRENGTH 

Sincere  faith  and  optimistic  trustfulness  appear  actually  to 
strengthen  the  nerves.  The  mind  probably  exerts  this  favorable 
influence,  over  the  nerve  centres  by  conserving  the  nervous  en- 
ergy and  economizing  the  expenditure  of  the  energy  granules 
found  in  the  neuron,  as  well  as  by  lessening  useless  nerve  im- 
pulses and  decreasing  unnecessary  muscular  movements.  On 
the  other  hand,  fear  decreases  the  nervous  strength.  Anxiety 
and  worry  are  among  the  leading  causes  of  neurasthenia. 

Humanity  is  afflicted  with  numerous  nerve  diseases  and  a  host 
of  nervous  manifestations  which  are  wholly  and  purely  mental 
in  origin.  One  would  be  quite  safe  in  estimating  that  nine- 
tenths  of  our  modern  nervous  disorders  are  either  mental  in 
nature  or  were  psychic  in  origin.  We  should  not  make  the  mis- 
take of  thinking  that  these  imaginary  diseases  are  not  real ;  they 
are  unreal  only  in  so  far  as  they  have  no  organic  basis  for  their 
existence;  they  are  v^ry  real  in  their  ability  to  torture  their 
victims  and  produce  endless  physical  suffering  and  mental 
suspense. 

When  but  a  lad,  the  author  knew  of  a  neurasthenic  neighbor 
who  had  for  years  carefully  nursed  his  imaginary  ailments  to 
the  point  where  he  was  scarcely  able  to  walk  about  the  yard; 
he  could  not  carry  five  pounds  of  sugar  three  blocks  —  from  the 
grocery  to  his  own  home.  One  day  his  house  was  discovered  on 
fire.  In  the  excitement  which  followed  he  entirely  forgot  him- 
self, absolutely  forgot  that  he  was  a  weak  and  disabled  neuras- 


232       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

thenic.  He  ran  upstairs.  And  after  throwing  several  looking- 
glasses  and  the  wash-bowl  and  pitcher  out  of  the  window, 
actually  shouldered  a  monstrous  black  walnut  clothes  press, 
carried  it  downstairs  single-handed  and  alone,  and  safely  de- 
posited the  same  in  the  middle  of  the  street.  In  the  next  fifteen 
minutes  he  carried  out  more  furniture  than  any  three  men.  Of 
course,  he  was  completely  "  done  up  "  after  the  fire  was  over. 
It  required  three  days  for  him  to  recuperate ;  but  as  he  recalled 
his  prodigious  feats  of  muscular  strength,  and  after  the  neigh- 
bors had  laughed  at  him  and  joked  about  his  marvellous 
performances,  he  was  actually  ashamed  to  return  to  his 
neurasthenic  life.  He  got  out  of  bed  on  the  third  day  after  the 
fire,  and  continued  to  improve  from  day  to  day,  until  within 
three  months  he  was  a  well  man,  strong  and  hearty,  without  the 
slightest  trace  of  neurasthenia. 

Neurasthenia  is  a  disease  of  manifold  symptoms.  The 
average  text  book  on  nervous  diseases  gives  upward  of  fifty 
symptoms  of  neurasthenia.  A  careful  analysis  of  these  symp- 
toms shows  the  majority  to  be  purely  functional,  more  than 
one-third  are  entirely  psychical,  while  scarcely  half  a  dozen 
symptoms  are  actually  physical.  The  very  manifestations  of  this 
disease  are  such  as  strongly  to  suggest  that  the  disorder  is 
largely  psychic  in  origin. 

FAITH    SUPERIOR   TO   VACATION 

But  a  few  months  ago  I  had  a  patient,  a  young  man,  whose 
nerves  were  all  "  going  to  pieces."  Four  weeks  of  treatment  hav- 
ing helped  him  but  little,  he  proposed  to  take  a  six  months'  vaca- 
tion, and  to  this  I  agreed.  All  the  while  this  young  man  was 
under  treatment  he  was  carrying  some  great  burden  on  his 
mind.  The  last  time  he  called  at  the  office  before  starting  on 
his  vacation,  as  he  was  saying  good-bye,  I  said,  *'  There  is  just 
a  word  I  want  to  say  before  you  leave.  I  am  impressed  that 
you  are  carrying  some  extraordinary  burden,  something  is 
worrying  you.  Now  I  want  to  be  honest  with  you;  I  am  fully 
satisfied  that  your  vacation  will  do  you  little  good  unless  you 
can  change  your  state  of  mind.  If  there  is  anything  you  can 
do  to  help  your  mental  state  before  going  on  the  vacation,  I  beg 
of  you  to  do  it.    If  you  are  merely  a  victim  of  worry,  cast  it 


EFFECT  OF  MIND  ON  NERVOUS  SYSTEM      233 

from  you,  otherwise  I  fear  you  will  return  to  me  at  the  end  of 
your  vacation  in  no  way  improved."  My  admonition  brought  a 
strange  expression  to  his  face;  nevertheless,  he  bade  me  good- 
bye and  disappeared,  as  I  supposed,  to  go  on  his  vacation. 

Imagine  our  surprise  the  following  day  when  he  rushed  mto 
the  office,  all  out  of  breath,  exclaiming :  "  No  vacation  for  me, 
I  've  found  something  better.  I  came  to  tell  you  I  am  a  well 
man.  That  last  talk  of  yours  yesterday  is  what  fixed  me.  That 
was  worth  a  thousand  dollars.  You  did  me  more  good  in  two 
minutes  than  you  have  done  by  treating  me  for  a  month.  I 
knew  all  the  time  a  vacation  would  not  do  me  any  good,  but 
just  didn't  have  the  nerve  to  straighten  things  up.  After  I  left 
your  office  yesterday,  I  just  went  home  and  I  began  to  clean 
everything  up.  I  had  five  or  six  jobs  to  make  right,  but  I  did 
them  all  up  square.  Then  I  went  up  into  the  attic  and  I  got 
right  down  on  my  knees  and  prayed  like  my  mother  used  to 
pray;  and  I  tell  you,  doctor,  I  am  a  well  man,  a  new  man. 
Look  at  my  nerves  this  morning,  are  n't  they  steady  ?  I  tell  you 
it  is  an  awful  thing  to  go  around  day  after  day  with  your  con- 
science smiting  you,  and  your  mind  all  full  of  wrong-doing. 
Now  the  next  time  you  get  a  chap  like  me,  make  a  speech  like 
that  to  begin  with,  and  it  will  save  you  both  a  lot  of  trouble." 

The  young  man  continued  to  express  his  gratitude  for  the 
little  part  I  had  been  able  to  play  in  his  recovery,  and  I  am  glad 
to  record  that  his  mental  rejuvenation  was  not  transient,  it  re- 
sulted in  permanent  physical  and  psychic  improvement.  Of 
course,  the  patient  saw  no  reason  just  then  why  this  moral 
suggestion  should  not  have  been  given  to  him  the  first  time  he 
consulted  me,  but  it  probably  would  not  have  worked  at  that 
time.  The  way  had  to  be  prepared,  his  confidence  had  to  be 
gained,  and  it  was  also  necessary  to  demonstrate  to  him  that  the 
best  physical  treatment  was  not  able  materially  to  help  him,  and 
then  when  the  psychological  moment  came,  it  was  possible  to 
say  the  few  words  that  resulted  in  his  starting  out  on  a  cam- 
paign for  his  mental  and  moral  deliverance. 

NERVOUS  ENERGY 

Faith  facilitates  nervous  recuperation  and  in  a  general  way 
increases  the  nutrition  of  the  nerves  and  nerve  centres.    When 


234       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

the  mind  is  peaceful  the  nerve  units  are  able  to  carry  on  their 
work  with  an  expenditure  of  a  minimum  amount  of  energy. 
Fear  is  responsible  for  useless  and  wasteful  nervous  action;  it 
squanders  the  nerve  energy.  Worry  produces  a  sort  of  nerve 
starvation  in  consequence  of  the  premature  and  extravagant 
expenditure  of  the  energy  granules  contained  in  the  body  of  the 
nerve  cell. 

The  optimist,  though  he  may  be  a  veritable  bundle  of  nerves, 
is  able  to  carry  on  a  vast  amount  of  nervous  activity  without  the 
slightest  experience  of  a  sense  of  fatigue.  He  is  not  constantly 
threatened  with  nervous  prostration.  The  same  amount  of 
nerve  work  on  the  part  of  the  pessimist  would  be  almost  sure  to 
result  in  a  nervous  breakdown,  more  or  less  complete. 

While  fear  and  the  other  unhappy  passions  are  able  greatly  to 
raise  the  blood-pressure,  they  invariably  tend  to  decrease  the 
nervous  energy.  Elevated  pressure  accompanies  depression  of 
spirits.    High  tension  is  the  forerunner  of  low  courage. 

THE   TROPHIC   NERVES 

The  so-called  trophic  nerves  are  the  nerves  of  nutrition. 
Their  impulses  have  to  do  with  cellular  growth,  nutrition,  and 
reproduction.  It  is  now  generally  accepted  by  physiologists  that 
the  mental  states  of  fear  and  grief  are  able  to  inhibit  and  inter- 
fere with  the  nutritional  impulses  which  normally  pass  over 
these  nerves.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  believed  that  faith  stim- 
ulates the  trophic  nerves  of  the  body,  and  thereby  contributes 
greatly  to  the  improvement  of  nutrition  and  metabolism  —  to  the 
strengthening  of  the  body  cells.  It  is  thought  that  worry  may 
contribute  to  the  production  of  baldness  by  its  influence  on  the 
trophic  nerves.  The  mental  state  is  no  doubt  at  least  a  con- 
tributing factor  in  many  cases  of  deficient  hair.  It  has  also 
been  suggested  that  some  cases  of  sudden  grayness  are  due  to 
the  power  of  the  mind  to  affect  the  trophic  nerves.  Metchnikoff 
has  attributed  sudden  blanching  of  the  hair  to  the  general  dis- 
organization and  irritation  of  the  macrophages  (the  large  white 
blood  cells)  which  enter  the  hair  at  the  roots  and  actually  eat 
up  the  pigment  —  scrape  off  the  paint  and  carry  it  away. 

The  profound  influence  of  the  mental  state  over  the  trophic 
nerves  is  further  illustrated  by  the  many  authentic  cases  of 


EFFECT  OF  MIND  ON  NERVOUS  SYSTEM      235 

religious  fanatics  who  have  long  gazed  on  the  crucifix  at  some 
renowned  shrine,  and,  as  a  result,  actual  ulcers  have  appeared  on 
the  hands  or  feet  at  the  very  points  pierced  by  the  nails  upon 
the  crucifixion  emblem. 

NERVOUS  EQUILIBRIUM 

Faith  and  trust  favor  a  maintenance  of  a  well-balanced  and 
perfectly  coordinated  nervous  system,  while  fear  tends  to  un- 
balance the  nerves  and  not  infrequently  leads  to  hysteria.  Con- 
fidence steadies  the  nerves,  fear  favors  hysteria  and  nervous 
uncertainty.  While  joy  may  sometimes  overexercise  the  nerves, 
when  it  occasionally  mounts  to  ecstasy  and  psychic  delirium,  it 
can  never  accomplish  the  harm  wrought  by  grief  and  sorrow  in 
their  terrible  influence  over  the  nervous  equilibrium. 

Hysteria,  that  protean  malady  which  is  able  to  impersonate 
wellnigh  all  diseases,  serves  to  illustrate  the  direful  consequences 
of  disturbing  the  nervous  equilibrium  —  the  balance  of  power 
between  the  voluntary  and  involuntary  nervous  systems.  The 
hysterical  patient  is  able  to  simulate  almost  every  known  4is- 
ease;  skin  eruptions  may  appear,  phantom  tumors  may  be 
present  in  the  abdomen;  serious  disorders  of  heart  and  lungs 
may  be  manifested;  the  body  may  become  rigid  —  cataleptic. 
Deformities  may  appear  or  the  patient  may  have  a  fit  varying 
in  intensity  from  the  slightest  convulsion  to  a  pseudo-epileptic 
attack.  While  insanity  is  a  derangement  of  the  central  or 
intellectual  consciousness,  hysteria  seems  to  be  a  disorder  of  the 
marginal  consciousness  —  or  rather  a  loss  of  coordination  be- 
tween the  voluntary  and  involuntary  nervous  systems. 

The  tremendous  influence  of  anxiety  and  suspense  is  well 
illustrated  by  the  case  of  the  nervous  patient  in  a  sanitarium. 
The  management  had  endeavored  to  keep  the  rooms  on  either 
side  vacant  so  as  not  to  disturb  him  in  the  slightest  manner. 
As  the  institution  was  filling  up  it  became  necessary  to 
assign  a  new  patient  to  one  of  the  rooms  adjoining  this  nervous 
individual.  This  patient  was  told  that  the  one  in  the  adjoining 
room  was  very  irritable  and  nervous  and  was  asked  to  be  as 
quiet  as  possible.  The  new  patient  proceeded  to  undress  and 
quite  forgetting  his  uneasy  neighbor,  carelessly  threw  down  one 
of  his  shoes  on  the  floor ;  whereupon  he  remembered  the  nervous 


236       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

patient  next  door,  so  after  removing  the  other  shoe  he  very 
quietly  laid  it  down.  After  he  had  finished  undressing  and  had 
retired,  he  heard  a  vigorous  pounding  on  the  wall  of  the  next 
room.  Upon  his  acknowledging  the  rapping  and  asking  what 
was  wanted,  his  nervous  neighbor  shouted  to  him :  "  For 
God's  sake,  drop  that  other  boot!  I  have  been  waiting  ten 
minutes  for  it." 

CONVULSIONS  AND  EPILEPSY 

Fear,  grief,  and  anger  are  sometimes  able  so  to  disturb  the 
nervous  system  as  to  produce  convulsions  and  other  nervous 
attacks  commonly  called  "  fits."  It  is  a  well-known  fact  that 
faith  and  self-control  are  often  able  to  prevent  these  attacks, 
and  even  to  cure  convulsions  by  their  wonderful  power  to  regu- 
late nerve  rhythm  and  maintain  regular  action  of  the  nervous 
system.  Fear  demoralizes  the  flow  of  the  nervous  currents. 
Faith  assists  in  maintaining  a  normal  and  natural  movement  of 
the  neuricity  currents  throughout  the  nervous  system. 

There  can  be  little  question  of  the  fact  that  fear  is  able  to 
produce  a  form  of  epilepsy.  There  can  be  little  doubt  that  worry 
and  anxiety  increase  the  frequency  of  epileptic  attacks  and  that 
fear  adds  to  the  severity  of  many  nervous  disturbances.  We 
once  asked  an  epileptic  patient  at  the  clinic  how  long  since  he 
had  his  last  attack.  He  started  to  reckon  up  the  time  when  he 
suddenly  remarked,  "  Doctor,  I  really  don't  like  to  think  very 
much  about  when  I  had  the  last  fit.  Every  time  I  get  to  thinking 
hard,  tryin'  to  remember  when  I  had  the  last  one,  I  usually  have 
another  one."  And  true  to  his  fear  he  did  have  another  one 
right  then  and  there.  It  is  a  common  experience  among  epilep- 
tics that  if  they  keep  track  of  their  seizures  they  are  almost 
sure  to  have  them  with  unerring  accuracy,  whereas,  if  they  are 
heedless  of  the  time  they  may  go  twice  as  long  without  having 
a  fit. 

NERVOUS    PARALYSIS 

Faith  energizes  and  invigorates  the  nervous  functions.  Fear 
diminishes,  retards,  even  paralyzes  the  nervous  activities.  Faith 
and  determination  have  cured  many  a  case  of  supposed  genuine 
paralysis.  Thousands  of  people  are  suffering  from  pseudo- 
paralysis ;  they  were  paralyzed  at  one  time  but  have  gotten  well 


EFFECT  OF  MIND  ON  NERVOUS  SYSTEM      237 

without  knowing  it.  If  such  patients  only  would  get  it  into  their 
heads  that  they  could  walk,  their  paralysis  would  disappear  on 
the  spot.  We  knew  of  such  a  case  several  years  ago,  where  an 
old  lady  who  had  lain  in  bed  twelve  years,  supposedly  paralyzed, 
announced  one  morning  to  her  family  she  would  like  to  be 
dressed.  She  thought  she  would  get  up  and  take  a  walk.  They 
dressed  her  and  then  laughed  and  said,  "Now,  mother,  let 's  see 
you  get  up  and  walk."  Imagine  their  astonishment  when  she 
crawled  right  out  of  bed,  walked  across  the  room  and  to  a 
chair  in  the  adjoining  room,  and  she  has  been  able  to  walk  ever 
since.    Faith  is  able  to  cure  these  cases  of  pseudo-paralysis. 

On  the  other  hand,  fear  is  responsible  for  numerous  cases  of 
paralysis  and  for  perpetuating  many  others.  Many  of  the  physi- 
cal functions  of  the  body  such  as  digestion,  circulation,  and 
breathing,  are  all  the  while  partially  paralyzed  as  the  result  of 
chronic  fear  —  worry.  If  the  mental  powers  could  but  effect 
their  deliverance  from  the  tyrant  of  pessimism,  the  vital  func- 
tions would  take  on  a  new  lease  of  life  and  would  perform 
their  work  with  that  new  energy  and  vigor  which  characterize 
the  response  of  the  body  to  the  psychic  touch  of  faith. 

PSYCHIC    CURES    OF   PARALYTICS 

Paralysis  of  the  legs  has  been  cured  by  the  terrorizing  influ- 
ence of  thunder  and  lightning.  An  old  lady  who  had  been 
confined  to  her  bed  for  fourteen  years  with  supposed  complete 
paralysis  was  one  day  left  alone  in  the  house.  While  all  the 
family  were  absent  the  house  caught  fire.  The  building  was  at 
the  edge  of  town  and  the  flames  did  not  attract  attention.  The 
paralytic  patient  shouted  '  Fire !  "  and  called  vociferously  for 
help,  but  no  help  came.  Finally,  the  flames  broke  through  into 
her  room,  whereupon  she  simply  crawled  out  of  bed  and  made  her 
exit  through  the  window.  Her  paralysis  was  cured!  From 
that  day  forward  she  walked  with  increasing  strength  and  con- 
fidence. Prayer,  suggestion,  or  any  other  iaith-arousing 
procedure  would  have  worked  as  well  as  the  conflagration. 

Paralysis  has  been  cured  by  a  patient  sitting  with  a  clinical 
thermometer  in  his  mouth  for  one  hour  each  day.  The  patient 
supposed  it  to  be  a  new  kind  of  treatment,  and  when  it  was  dis- 
covered that  he  felt  better  after  the  application,  he  was  required 


238       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

to  come  and  hold  the  thermometer  in  his  mouth  daily  for  two 
weeks,  and  this  treatment,  unaided  by  any  other  method,  re- 
sulted in  rapidly  curing  his  paralysis.  Into  my  clinic,  a  few 
years  ago,  there  came  a  colored  man  with  some  minor  com- 
plaint; and,  after  placing  a  thermometer  under  his  tongue, 
closing  his  lips  with  great  care,  asking  him  to  breathe  through 
his  nose  and  keep  his  mouth  closed,  I  left  him  seated  in  one 
corner  of  the  room.  In  the  meantime,  I  continued  my  lecture, 
and  quite  forgot  about  the  patient.  After  some  thirty  minutes 
I  chanced  to  glance  about  the  room  and  discovered  him  sitting 
like  a  statue  in  the  exact  position  I  had  left  him.  I  immediately 
went  over  to  him  and,  taking  the  thermometer  out  of  his  mouth, 
inquired,  "  Well,  how  are  you  feeling  now  ? "  Imagine  my 
astonishment  upon  receiving  this  reply :  "  Well,  prof essah,  I 
didn't  taste  nothin'  but  I  sho  do  feel  better."  This  colored 
gentleman  undoubtedly  had  never  before  seen  a  clinical  ther- 
mometer, and,  like  the  patient  with  the  paralysis,  supposed  he  had 
been  receiving  some  new  and  mysterious  mode  of  treatment.  At 
any  rate,  after  three  applications  of  the  thermometer  on  alter- 
nate days,  he  declared  himself  to  be  sufficiently  improved  to  re- 
sume work  at  his  old  job. 

THE   SENSATION   OF  PAIN 

Fear  possesses  the  power  of  perverting,  distorting,  and  even 
originating  painful  and  other  disagreeable  sensations.  Faith 
and  joy  are  able  to  lessen,  minimize,  and,  in  many  instances, 
actually  to  remove  painful  feelings  and  disagreeable  sensations. 
The  morbid  mind  is  certainly  able  to  originate  pain.  It  should 
be  remembered  that  the  feeling  or  consciousness  of  pain  takes 
place  in  the  brain,  while  the  physical  sensation  is  referred  out 
over  the  nerves  to  that  portion  of  the  body  from  which  the 
nerves  have  reported  those  sensations  which  the  mind  recog- 
nized as  painful.  Thus  pain  is  always  referred  to  the  origin  of 
the  nerve. 

It  is  now  a  recognized  fact  in  physiology  and  psychology  that 
disorder  of  the  brain  and  disturbances  of  the  mind  may  set  in 
operation  impulses  in  the  cortex  of  the  brain  which  may  be 
reflected  outward  over  the  nerves  to  some  or^an  of  the  body 
giving  rise  to  various  abnormal  and  unnatural  feelings,  ranging 


EFFECT  OF  MIND  ON  NERVOUS  SYSTEM      239 

from  vague  and  indefinite  sensations  up  to  positive  discomfort 
and  actual  pain. 

That  the  mind  is  able  to  inhibit  pain  and  thus  relieve  much 
suffering,  is  shown  by  repeated  experiments  in  which  plain 
distilled  water,  hypodermically  injected  into  the  arm  of  a  suf- 
fering patient,  has  promptly  relieved  the  pain.  Some  months 
ago  I  was  called  to  see  a  patient  who  was  suffering  inordinately 
and  who  begged  incessantly  for  morphine.  On  being  warned 
by  the  patient's  mother  that  she  had  been  taking  a  considerable 
quantity  of  morphine  of  late,  I  decided  that  it  was  not  best  to 
administer  this  drug  unless  every  other  treatment  failed  to 
relieve  her.  Hot  applications  were  used,  but  she  acknowledged 
no  relief;  whereupon,  I  went  into  another  room  and  prepared 
a  hypodermic  syringe,  filling  it  with  ordinary  boiled  water. 
This  was  injected  into  the  patient's  arm  after  the  usual  prepara- 
tion, and  she  was  assured  that  she  would  soon  experience  relief. 
In  less  than  two  minutes  she  had  quieted  down,  ceased  her 
moaning,  and  in  less  than  fifteen  minutes  was  sleeping  peace- 
fully. Such  cases  beyond  the  shadow  of  a  doubt,  demonstrate 
the  power  of  psychic  influences  both  to  modify  and  obliterate 
pain. 

PAIN   NOT  WHOLLY  SUBJECT  TO   MIND 

We  would  not  infer  that  all  pain  can  be  relieved  by  the  mind, 
but  we  would  suggest  that  all  pain  can  be  made  worse  by  men- 
tal influences.  Human  beings  are  compelled  to  endure  a  vast 
amount  of  pain  which  is  in  no  wise  psychic  in  origin  We  have 
observed  the  most  devout  Christian  Scientist  writhing  in  agony. 
Bona  fide  pain  is  one  of  the  greatest  stumbling  blocks  in  the  way 
of  the  various  new  cults  which  deny  the  existence  of  matter 
and  exalt  mind.  We  cannot  always  remove  pain  by  denying 
its  existence;  however,  we  can  usually  lessen  its  severity. 

GENERAL    NERVOUSNESS 

Faith  assists  in  the  maintenance  of  temperamental  calm. 
Fear  generates  constitutional  panic.  Unhappy  people  are  gen- 
erally nervous.  The  satisfied  soul  is  usually  composed  and 
steady  of  nerve.  The  joyous  soul  sleeps  soundly;  the  suspicious 
one  is  bothered  with  insomnia.  Every  nerve  cell  and  nerve 
fibre  are  directly  influenced  by  the  state  of  one's  mind.    Those 


240       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 


who  fret  and  worry  are  always  more  or  less  nervous.  The  mind 
deranges  first  the  voluntary  nervous  system  and  then  the  in- 
voluntary or  sympathetic  system.  When  the  voluntary  system 
is  deranged  we  are  rendered  nervous  during  our  waking  mo- 
ments, but  when  we  disturb  the  sympathetic  system  we 
influence  the  vital  functions  both  day  and  night;  for  it  is  this 
system  that  presides  over  all  the  activities  of  life. 

It  has  been  observed  that  the  mental  state  is  able  to  determine 
the  amount  of  certain  substances  which  are  eliminated  in  the 
urine,  and  which  are  derived  from  the  breaking  down  and  wear- 
ing out  of  nervous  tissues,  such  as  the  alkaline  phosphates, 
lecithin,  etc.  Profound  fear,  great  excitement,  and  unusual 
anxiety,  always  result  in  greatly  increasing  the  quantity  of  these 
products  of  nervous  activity  in  the  urine. 

Comparative  Summary  of  the  Effects  of  Faith  and  Feab 
ON  THE  Nervous  System 


FAITH 

1.  Control:  Produces  steady 
nerves. 

2.  Strength:     Increases. 

3.  Energy:  Recuperates  and 
nourishes. 

4.  Nutrition:  Trophic  nerves 
stimulated. 

5.  Equilibrium :  Keeps  the 
nerves  well  balanced  and  co- 
ordinated. 

6.  Convulsions:  Prevents. 
Favors  regular  action. 

7.  Epilepsy:  Aids  in  prevent- 
ing. Maintains  healthy  nerve 
current. 

8.  Paralysis:  Cures  pseudo- 
paralysis and  similar  condi- 
tions. 

9.  Pain:  Lessens,  relieves,  and 
cures. 

10.  General  nervousness:  Pre- 
vents. 


fear 

1.  Control:   Causes  nervousness 
and  tremors. 

2.  Strength:     Decreased. 

3.  Energy:        Produces     nerve 
starvation. 

4.  Nutrition:      Trophic    nerves 
inhibited. 

5.  Equilibrium:     Leads  to  hys- 
teria and  unbalanced  nerves. 


6.  Convulsions:  Favors.  May 
produce  "fits." 

7.  Epilepsy:  May  cause  certain 
forms.  Increases  severity  of 
others. 

8.  Paralysis:  Causes  partial 
paralysis  and  loss  of  func- 
tion. 

9.  Pain:  Causes,  aggravates, 
and  perpetuates. 

10,  General    nervousness:      Pro* 
duces. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

THE  INFLUENCE  OF  THE  MENTAL  STATE  ON  THE 
BEHAVIOR  OF  THE  SPECIAL  SENSES 

The  sense  of  taste. —  The  sense  of  smell. —  The  sense  of 
HEARING. —  The  sense  of  sight. —  The  sense  of  feeling. — 
Speech  and  expression. —  Comparative  summary  of  the 
effects  of  faith  and  fear  on  the  special  senses. —  The 
conclusion  of  the  whole  matter. 

IN  the  previous  chapter  consideration  was  given  to  the  influence 
ot  the  mind  upon  the  nervous  system  as  a  whole.  This  chap- 
ter is  designed  more  particularly  to  discuss  the  influence  of  the 
emotions  upon  those  highly  differentiated  mechanisms  of  the 
nervous  system,  commonly  known  as  the  "special  senses."  If 
psychic  influence  can  largely  determine  the  behavior  of  the 
special  senses,  it  would  appear  that  the  mind  possesses  almost 
unlimited  control  over  the  ultimate  formation  of  habits  and  the 
development  of  character.  It  must  be  recognized  that  both  our 
moral  temperament  and  our  physical  practices  are  formed  out 
of  the  actions  and  reactions  which  are  inaugurated  by  the  stimu- 
lation of  the  various  nervous  processes  included  under  the  term, 
the  "  special  senses." 

the  sense  of  taste 

Faith  and  courage,  confidence  and  calmness,  never  fail  to 
increase  one's  hunger  and  sharpen  the  appetite.  Good  cheer 
creates  a  demand  for  food  as  well  as  satisfaction  in  partaking  of 
the  same.  Fear,  together  with  other  morbid  and  sordid  mental 
states,  lessens  the  appetite,  blunts  the  taste,  depresses  hunger, 
and  sometimes  completely  abolishes  the  desire  for  food. 

Taste  is  the  monitor  and  appetite  the  regulator  of  metabolism. 
Bodily  nutrition  is  largely  under  the  control  of  the  sense  of 
taste.     Whatever  interferes  with   or  destroys  one's   ability  to 

241 


242       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

appreciate  keenly  and  enjoy  highly  the  taste  of  his  food,  pro- 
portionately decreases  the  process  of  nutrition  and  demoralizes 
the  metabolism  of  the  body.  Any  influence  which  can  increase 
one's  ability  to  enjoy  one's  food  and  more  highly  to  appreciate 
the  pleasant  flavors  found  therein,  thereby  promotes  good  diges- 
tion, encouraging  assimilation  and  everything  else  connected 
with  bodily  nutrition. 

When  we  think  of  a  good  dinner  the  mouth  begins  to  water. 
Expectancy  accentuates  the  sense  of  taste  and  increases  one's 
ability  to  enjoy  food.  Faith  actually  adds  to  the  gustatory 
capacity  of  the  happy  and  healthy  man.  The  sense  of  taste  in 
the  average  person  would  be  improved  by  good  cheer,  as  well  as 
by  exercise  and  by  discarding  highly  seasoned  and  unnatural 
foods. 

Flaubert,  the  novelist,  in  describing  how  the  creatures  of  his 
imagination  came  literally  to  possess  him,  said :  "  My  imaginary 
people  take  hold  of  me  and  follow  me,  or  rather,  it  is  I  who  am 
in  them.  When  I  was  writing  the  poisoning  of  Emma  Bovary, 
I  had  so  distinctly  the  taste  of  arsenic  in  my  mouth,  was  so 
thoroughly  poisoned  myself,  that  I  vomited  my  whole  dinner." 
This  experience  of  "  fictitious  taste "  occurred  while  Flaubert 
was  engaged  in  writing  his  famous  novel,  "  Madam  Bovary." 

THE  SENSE   OF  SMELL 

A  pleasant  frame  of  mind  undoubtedly  enhances  the  sense  of 
smell,  while  fear  may  so  paralyze  this  special  sense  as  greatly 
to  decrease  or  entirely  prevent  one's  ability  to  detect  common 
odors.  Not  only  does  fear  possess  the  power  of  crippling  or 
inhibiting  the  sense  of  smell,  but  it  is  also  actually  able  to  create 
false  odors ;  that  is,  to  cause  one  to  smell  fictitious  and  imaginary 
odors. 

We  once  had  a  patient  whose  cook  accidentally  allowed  some 
kerosene  to  get  into  the  food  one  day.  This  nervous  and  sus- 
picious woman  smelled  and  tasted  the  coal  oil  in  the  food;  and 
for  months  thereafter,  she  seemed  to  detect  the  odor  of  kerosene 
in  almost  every  article  of  food  which  was  brought  to  the  table ; 
in  fact,  it  required  persistent  and  systematic  training  on  her 
part  to  overcome  this  fear.  She  would  often  appeal  to  every 
member  of  the  family  to  ascertain  if  any  of  them  could  not 


MENTAL  STATE  AND  SPECIAL  SENSES        243 

taste  kerosene,  and  she  would  not  eat  the  suspected  food  until 
all  had  assured  her  that  they  could  detect  not  even  the  slightest 
odor  of  the  coal  oil. 

Neurasthenic  and  hysteric  patients  not  infrequently  smell 
strange  odors.  These  fictitious  odors  are  sometimes  pleasant 
and  agreeable,  but  usually  they  are  unpleasant.  A  patient,  who 
had  narrowly  escaped  losing  her  life  in  a  burning  building, 
continued  for  years  afterwards  to  smell  the  odors  of  burning 
fabrics  and  wood.  Others  smell  phosphorus,  turpentine,  vari- 
ous animal  odors,  etc. 

An  Eastern  professor  tested  five  hundred  pupils  in  various 
schools  with  reference  to  the  influence  of  suggestion  upon  the 
sense  of  smell.  It  was  his  plan  first  to  discuss  flowers  and  their 
characteristic  perfumes.  He  would  then  ask  the  pupils  if  they 
thought  they  could  detect  the  odor  of  a  certain  flower  if  it  were 
in  the  schoolroom.  He  placed  on  the  teacher's  desk  bottles  bear- 
ing the  labels  of  different  perfumes  and  an  atomizer  filled  with 
plain  water.  He  next  generously  sprayed  the  water  through  the 
atomizer  at  several  different  places  in  the  room.  Each  child  was 
given  a  card  upon  which  to  write  the  name  of  the  perfume 
which  he  thought  he  had  smelled.  Seventy-five  per  cent  of  these 
school  children  thought  they  had  been  able  to  smell  some  odor 
from  the  plain  water  that  had  been  sprayed  from  the  atomizer, 
and  fifty-seven  per  cent  were  absolutely  sure  that  they  had  de- 
tected some  odor.  In  the  first  and  second  grades  ninety  per  cent 
of  the  children  were  fooled  in  this  manner,  whereas,  in  the 
seventh  and  eighth  grades  only  thirteen  per  cent  were  deceived. 

THE  SENSE  OF  HEARING 

Self-confidence  and  moral  peace  never  fail  to  render  the 
hearing  more  acute.  In  fact,  faith  has  cured  many  a  case  of 
hysteric  deafness.  It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  nervous  people, 
whose  minds  are  constantly  in  a  state  of  agitation,  are  not  able 
to  appreciate  good  music  as  are  those  with  a  quiet  and  composed 
mental  state. 

Fear  and  worry,  when  long  continued,  are  able  to  give  origin 
to  hallucinations.  People  so  afflicted  hear  all  sorts  of  strange 
sounds  and  hideous  noises.  Many  of  them  are  able  to  hear 
voices  and  receive  commands.    The  early  hallucinations  of  some 


244       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

forms  of  insanity  serve  indisputably  to  prove  that  the  mind, 
under  certain  conditions,  has  power  to  originate  auditory  im- 
pressions v^^hich  are  referred  outward  to  the  organ  of  hearing. 
These  abnormal  impulses,  the  patient  recognizes  as  literal  sounds 
which  have  come  to  his  ear  from  without.  This  goes  to  prove 
the  fact  that  one's  hearing  a  sound  is  not  in  itself  evidence  that 
the  sound  actually  occurred ;  it  merely  signifies  that  the  hearing 
centres  of  the  brain  have  been  aroused,  and  it  is  now  known  that 
these  centres  may  be  stimulated  by  influences  arising  within 
the  brain  and  the  mind,  as  well  as  by  atmospheric  vibrations 
which  impinge  upon  the  external  apparatus  of  the  ear. 

Sounds  of  all  sorts  are  heard  as  a  result  of  irritation  and 
disease  of  the  auditory  nerve,  such  as  bands  of  music,  the  ring- 
ing of  bells,  and  rushing  water.  This  last  is  very  likely  due  to 
the  flow  of  blood  in  the  arteries  near-by.  All  these  sounds  would 
lead  to  erroneous  conclusions  were  their  causes  not  suspected 
ana  recognized  by  our  reasoning  powers.  If  we  live  near  a 
boiler  factory  we  soon  cease  to  hear  the  noise,  or  if  we  reside 
in  the  city  we  soon  fail  to  notice  the  cars  and  wagons  in  the 
street.  The  author  used  to  lecture  at  a  school  near  the  elevated 
railroad,  but  after  a  few  months  he  never  heard  the  trains  go 
by  There  appears  to  be  in  the  mind  some  power  of  choice  as 
to  whether  a  hearing  impulse  shall  be  short-circuited  or  sent  on 
up  to  the  conscious  centres  of  hearing. 

THE  SENSE  OF  SIGHT 

Faith  increases  the  ability  to  see  and  to  see  accurately.  Fear 
distorts  the  vision  and  renders  the  sense  of  sight  less  reliable. 
Fear  is  also  able  to  produce  the  well-known  condition  of  hys- 
teric blindness,  while  faith  and  determination  are  able  to  cure 
and  entirely  remove  this  troublesome  ailment.  Fear  and  its 
allied  states  are  sometimes  able  to  lead  up  to  that  point  where 
delusions  are  developed.  The  sufferer  sees  things  which  have 
no  real  existence.  He  imagines  strange  people  are  dogging  his 
steps,  imaginary  enemies  are  constantly  on  his  trail.  He  thinks 
people  on  the  street  are  making  faces  at  him.  Fictitious  beings 
call  to  him  and  converse  with  him.  The  delusions  of  the  in- 
sane  are  ample  demonstration  of  the  fact  that  the  sense  of  sight, 
the  power  to  create  images,  does  not  depend  alone  on  the  stim- 


MENTAL  STATE  AND  SPECIAL  SENSES        245 

wlation  of  the  eye  and  the  optic  nerve.  The  ability  to  "  see 
things  "  may  also  be  set  in  operation  by  various  influences  resi- 
dent in  the  mind  or  by  some  abnormal  state  of  the  seeing  centre 
of  the  brain.  On  the  other  hand,  faith  and  trust  not  infrequently 
prove  themselves  able  to  cure  hysteric  blindness  and  restore 
the  patient  to  a  state  of  normal  vision.  Faith  is  able  to  create 
new  views  of  all  nature  —  fully  to  restore  the  normal  sense  of 
sight. 

We  are  indebted  to  Prof.  Gault  for  the  following  experiments 
respecting  the  power  of  suggestion  with  reference  to  the  sense 
of  sight.  The  purpose  of  these  experiments  is  to  determine 
whether  we  can  truthfully  say  that  all  persons  are  suggestible. 
In  the  first  place,  we  have  a  series  of  experiments  in  which  we 
determine  the  order  of  after  images  from  white  light.  The  sub- 
ject is  seated  before  a  window  covered  with  a  black  shade,  in 
which  there  is  an  opening  five  inches  square.  Looking  through 
this  opening,  he  sees  the  clear  sky  beyond.  After  the  eyes  have 
been  fixed  upon  the  sky  —  impressed  for  twenty  seconds  by 
white  light  —  they  are  covered  with  a  heavy  cushion  of  black 
velvet.  Under  such  circumstances,  normally,  one  should  obtain 
after-images  colored,  first  blue,  second,  green,  third,  red, 
fourth,  violet,  and  then  blue  again,  and  so  on  until  the  images 
completely  disappear.  As  soon  as  our  subject  has  his  eyes  cov- 
ered, the  experimenter  plies  him  with  such  questions  as  these: 

"  Do  you  see  the  red  ?  "  "  Is  it  red  now  ?  "  "  Have  you  got 
the  red  yet  ?  "  "  Do  you  see  orange  ?  "  "  Tell  me  as  soon  as 
you  see  orange,"  and  so  on,  the  object  being  to  find  whether  the 
subject  will  be  made,  by  these  suggestive  questions,  to  reverse 
or  alter  in  any  way  the  normal  course  of  after-images  from  white 
light.  The  subjects  of  the  experiments  had  no  experience  in 
matters  of  this  kind,  and  did  not  know  the  normal  order.  They 
did  not  know,  therefore,  what  to  expect  in  such  tests.  In  every 
case  the  experimenter  succeeded  in  altering  more  or  less  greatly 
the  normal  order.    Thirty  different  subjects  were  tried. 

THE    SENSE  OF  FEELING 

We  have  already  considered  the  influence  of  the  mind  upon 
the  temperature  sense,  and  also,  to  some  extent,  the  power  of 
the  mental  state  to  influence  and  control  pain.    A  pleasant  frame 


246       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

of  mind  renders  all  the  nervous  sensations  connected  with  the 
sense  of  feeling  more  normal  and  acute.  Fear  deranges  the 
tactile  sensibility,  rendering  the  sensations  unreliable,  even  to 
the  point  of  creating  false  sensations  of  temperature  or  pain. 
While  faith  lessens  the  realization  of  pain,  fear  aggravates,  in- 
creases, and  promotes  all  painful  sensations. 

It  is  true  that  sudden  fright  —  acute  fear  —  may  for  a  mo- 
ment relieve  pain.  Unusual  intellectual  stress  and  strain  may 
inhibit  the  sense  of  pain  for  the  time  being,  but  chronic  fear 
usually  renders  all  painful  sensations  more  intense,  and  may  in 
time  prove  itself  able  actually  to  originate  painful  impressions. 

The  same  thirty  subjects  who  were  tested  in  the  experiments 
for  determining  the  power  of  the  mind  over  the  after-images  of 
white  light,  were  also  experimented  upon  to  determine  their 
suggestibility  in  the  face  of  thermal  stimuli.  An  ordinary  light- 
ing current  was  passed  through  a  bank  of  lamps  and  through  a 
bare  resistance  coil.  The  operator  was  seated  at  one  end  of  the 
table  on  which  this  apparatus  rested.  The  subject  of  the  ex- 
periment was  seated  at  the  side  of  the  table  facing  the  bank  of 
lamps  and  the  resistance  coil,  all  of  which  were  so  close  to  him 
that  when  the  lamps  were  lighted  he  could  feel  upon  his  face, 
the  heat  emanating  therefrom.  He  was  then  asked  to  place  the 
tips  of  his  index  and  middle  fingers  of  either  hand  upon  the  wire 
coil.  The  current  was  then  introduced  to  the  circuit.  He  was 
asked  to  let  the  operator  know  as  soon  as  he  felt  a  degree  of 
warmth  in  the  coil.  Ten  successive  tests  were  made  in  which 
the  current  passed  through  the  circuit  as  described  above.  A 
secret  switch  was  inserted  in  the  circuit  by  the  operator's  knee. 
By  pressing  it,  the  current  could  be  shunted  off  from  the  wire 
coil,  while  it  still  passed  through  the  bank  of  lamps,  which  were 
still  able,  therefore,  to  shed  their  warmth  upon  the  face  of  the 
observer. 

Now,  in  ten  successive  tests,  the  current  was  so  shunted  off 
while  the  observer  had  the  tips  of  his  fingers,  as  aforesaid,  upon 
the  wire  coil,  and  he  was  asked  again  to  let  the  operator  know 
whether  the  coil  in  the  successive  tests  was  warm  or  not. 
Twenty-five  out  of  thirty  subjects  reported  warmth  in  the  coil 
when  there  was  actually  no  current  present.     Seven  of  the 


MENTAL  STATE  AND  SPECIAL  SENSES        247 

twenty-five  reported  warmth  continuously,  that  is,  in  every  one 
of  the  ten  tests ;  the  remainder  reported  warmth  with  greater  or 
less  unanimity. 

Before  these  experiments  began,  the  subjects  were  informed 
that  the  tests  were  to  determine  the  lowest  limit  of  the  thermal 
sensation  —  this,  merely  to  throw  them  off  their  guard.  The 
results  of  these  tests  were  compared  with  the  tests  of  after- 
images, and  it  was  found  that  there  was  practically  no  relation 
between  suggestibility  in  the  one  case  and  suggestibility  in  the 
other.  That  is  to  say,  the  subject  who  was  highly  suggestible 
to  colored  after-images  from  white  light,  might  be  or  might  not 
be  highly  suggestible  when  the  stimulus  is  thermal  on  the  basis 
of  these  experiments.  Therefore,  it  seems  probable  that  we 
cannot  say  broadly  that  one  subject  is  suggestible  and  another 
is  not.  More  accurately,  we  should  say,  perhaps,  that  one  sub- 
ject is  suggestible  to  one  kind  of  stimulus  but  not  to  another. 
There  are  specializations  in  suggestibility. 

SPEECH    AND    EXPRESSION 

Faith  exerts  a  salutary  influence  upon  the  speech  centres,  of 
the  brain,  very  favorably  influencing  the  ability  to  speak  flu- 
ently; in  fact,  self-confidence,  determination,  and  trust  are 
essential  parts  of  all  systems  of  training  designed  to  cure  stut- 
tering children  or  stammering  adults.  Fear  cripples  and 
paralyzes  the  talking-centres.  Acute  fright  and  chronic  worry 
all  contribute  to  stuttering,  stammering,  and  backwardness  of 
speech.  Exalted  faith  has  in  many  cases  restored  the  speech 
when  it  has  been  lost  from  various  causes. 

After  an  attack  of  apoplexy  the  speech  centres  are  often  tem- 
porarily paralyzed.  The  ability  to  resume  talking  is  not 
infrequently  connected  with  some  religious  excitement  or  other 
experience  when  the  entire  mind  is  concentrated  upon  the  one 
thought  of  regaining  the  speech.  Faith  dominates  the  mind 
and  they  are  rewarded  with  a  sudden  and  apparently  miraculous 
restoration  of  their  speech.  On  the  other  hand,  fear  possesses 
the  power  temporarily  to  destroy  the  ability  to  talk.  It  is  a 
common  experience  to  observe  one  who  is  dumb  from  acute 
fright. 

In  the  chapter  on  the  influence  of  the  mind  upon  the  muscles 


248       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  'AND  FEAR 


it  was  noted  how  the  mental  state  influenced  the  muscles 
of  expression.  Faith  makes  for  a  youthful  and  healthful  ex- 
pression, while  fear  produces  an  unhappy  and  sordid  look. 
Fear  is  a  great  beauty-destroyer.  Faith  creates  a  happy  and 
optimistic  countenance.  A  confident  soul  presents  a  joyful  face 
and  courageous  features,  while  a  fearing  one  shows  a  downcast 
and  despondent  countenance ;  its  victims  are  always  "  down 
in  the  mouth."  Some  one  has  said :  "  Let  no  one  aspire  to  make 
man  beautiful  without  making  him  better." 

Comparative  Summary  of  the  Effects  of  Faith  and  Fear 
ON  THE  Special  Senses 


Taste :  Increases,  sharpens, 
and  creates. 

Smell:  Increases  normal 
function. 

Hearing :  Renders  acute. 
May  cure  hysteric  deafness. 
Sight:  Enhances.  Cures  hys- 
teric blindness  and  creates 
new  views. 

Feeling:  Sensations  and  tem- 
perature normal.  Rendered 
more  acute. 

Speech:  Makes  fluent.  Cures 
stuttering.  Restores  speech 
when  lost. 

Expression:  Youthful  and 
healthful. 

The  countenance:  Happy 
and  optimistic,  joyful  and 
courageous. 

Pain:  Prevents,  decreases, 
and  relieves. 


fear 

1.  Taste:  Prevents,  blunts,  and 
abolishes. 

2.  Smell:  Decreases,  prevents. 
May  create  false  odors. 

3.  Hearing:  Produces  hysteric 
deafness    and   hallucinations. 

4.  Sight:  Distorts.  Produces 
delusions  and  "  fear  blind- 
ness." 

5.  Feeling:  Renders  sensations 
unreliable.  Temperature-sen- 
sation false. 

6.  Speech:  Cripples  and  par- 
alyzes. Produces  stuttering 
and  loss  of  speech. 

7.  Expression:  Sordid  and  un- 
happy.    A  beauty-killer. 

8.  The  countenance:  Downcast 
and  despondent.  "  Down  in 
the  mouth." 

9.  Pain:  May  originate  pain- 
ful sensations. 


THE    CONCLUSION    OF    THE    WHOLE    MATTER 

We  have  now  carefully  traced  the  influence  of  faith  and  fear 
upon  the  heart,  the  blood  vessels,  circulation,  respiration,  secre- 
tions, digestion,  muscles,  skin,  nervous  system,  brain,  and  the 
special  senses.  The  entire  matter  can  be  briefly  summarized 
as  follows: 


MENTAL  STATE  AND  SPECIAL  SENSES        249 

I.  All  faith  tendencies  are  toward  mental  happiness  and 
physical  health.  All  people,  good  or  had,  get  the  physical  re- 
wards of  faith,  regardless  of  whether  the  objects  of  their  faith 
and  belief  are  true  or  false.  Faith  reacts  favorably  upon  the 
body  independent  of  the  trueness  of  the  object  or  the  correct- 
ness of  the  thing  believed.  Faith  is  the  natural,  normal,  and 
healthy  state  of  mind  for  man.  Faith  is  the  state  of  mind  that 
ever  tends  to  make  a  man  better,  stronger,  happier,  and 
healthier. 

2  Fear  and  all  its  tendencies  are  toward  mental  despair 
and  physical  disease.  All  people,  good  or  bad,  reap  the  physical 
rewards  of  fear,  even  though  its  basis  may  be  entirely  false. 
There  is  a  reaction  of  despair  and  disease  following  all  fear, 
doubt ^  and  worry.  The  thing  feared  may  be  a  hobgoblin  or  a 
phantom,  but  the  effects  of  fear  upon  the  body  are,  nevertheless, 
unfailingly  deteriorating  and  disease-producing.  Fear  and 
worry  are  incompatible  with  mental  peace  and  physical  health. 
Deliverance  from  the  thraldom  of  fear  is  essential  to  the  mental, 
moral,  and  physical  emancipation  of  the  human  race. 


PART  III 
THERAPEUTIC    SECTION 


PART  III 
THERAPEUTIC  SECTION 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

THE  DAWN  OF  SCIENTIFIC  HEALING 

The  emancipation  of  medical  practice. —  Therapeutic  evo- 
lution.—  The  evolution  of  modern  psychology. —  The 
spiritistic  deluge. —  The  scope  of  modern  thera- 
peutics.—  Modern  methods  of  investigating  disease. — 
—  The  new  psychic  teaching. —  Psychotherapy  and  hy- 
giene.—  Summary  of  the  chapter. 

FOR  ages  the  world  has  groped  about  in  darkness  and  igno- 
rance respecting  the  nature  and  cause  of  various  physical 
diseases  and  numerous  mental  maladies.  Not  until  the  dis- 
covery of  the  microscope  was  the  cause  of  many  physical 
diseases  revealed,  and  it  is  only  recently  that  light  has  been 
shed  upon  the  true  nature  of  numerous  psychic  disturbances. 

The  dawn  of  the  twentieth  century  witnessed  the  birth  of 
modern  medicine,  the  beginning  of  a  new  and  scientific  era  in 
healing.  The  practice  of  medicine  is  undergoing  a  silent  rev- 
olution. For  centuries  the  treatment  of  disease  was  largely 
empiric,  often  thoroughly  irrational.  The  therapeutic  proced- 
ures of  the  present  differ  radically  from  those  of  the  past. 
Future  methods  of  treatment  will  undoubtedly  become  more 
and  more  simple,  natural,  precise,  and  scientific. 

THE    emancipation     OF     MEDICAL    PRACTICE 

The  practice  of  medicine  has  long  been  shackled  with  super- 
stition and  handicapped  with  the  ignorance  and  uncertainties 
of  empiricism.  In  past  ages  the  healing  of  disease  was  more 
of  an  art  than  a  science.  During  the  last  century  men  of 
science  began  to  apply  precise  tests  and  scientific  methods  to 
the  practice  of  the  healing  art,  and  although  medicine  has  not 
yet  become  a  definite  and  exact  science  in  all  its  departments, 
it  is  rapidly  achieving  this  desired  goal 

253 


254       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  'AND  FEAR 

The  methods  of  medicine  are  rapidly  changing,  owing  to  the 
momentous  scientific  discoveries  which  succeed  one  another 
in  rapid  succession.  Medical  practice  is  at  last  breaking  away 
from  ancient  delusions  and  sectarian  prejudices.  Physicians 
are  dedicating  their  energies  to  the  glorious  work  of  prevent- 
ing disease,  while  they  put  forth  every  effort  to  relieve  sickness 
and  mitigate  suffering. 

The  present  generation  undoubtedly  will  witness  the  passing 
of  the  old  medical  authority  —  that  absolute  medical  authority 
of  the  last  generation,  when  the  family  physician  was  regarded 
with  almost  superstitious  awe.  His  advice  was  looked  upor 
as  the  acme  of  human  wisdom.  In  many  respects  this  loss  o' 
supreme  confidence  in  the  family  medical  adviser  is  to  be  de 
plored.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  this  superstitious  reverence 
of  the  doctor  is  incompatible  with  the  modern  increase  in  pop- 
ular knowledge  regarding  scientific  matters  and  hygienic  prac- 
tices. The  minister  has  suffered  the  same  decline  in  public 
prestige;  and  when  the  mills  of  justice  are  simplified  and  made 
more  accessible  to  the  people,  the  lawyer  will  no  doubt  undergo 
a  similar  depreciation.  The  decline  of  this  old-time  profes- 
sional prestige  means  that  the  people  have  begun  to  deliver 
themselves  from  dogmatic  influences,  have  begun  to  think  for 
themselves,  and  this  is  bound  to  prove  of  great  ultimate  benefit 
to  the  race. 

THERAPEUTIC  EVOLUTION 

The  last  century  will  probably  go  down  in  the  history  of  the 
world  as  the  era  of  promiscuous  drugging.  The  doctors  pre- 
scribed drugs  in  enormous  quantities;  the  common  people  took 
the  cue  and  liberally  patronized  the  drug  stores,  annually 
swallowing  thousands  of  gallons  of  patent  medicines  and  other 
secret  nostrums  which  undoubtedly  contributed  much  toward 
undermining  the  health  of  the  individual  and  deteriorating  the 
civilized  races. 

When  the  drug  mania  was  at  its  height,  there  arose  a  school 
of  medicine  known  as  homeopathy,  whose  doctrine  demanded 
the  giving  of  infinitesimal  doses  with  almost  infinite  dilution, 
and  strange  to  record,  people  seemed  to  get  well  just  as  quickly 
(some  thought  more  quickly)   under  the  influence  of  homeo- 


THE  DAWN  OF  SCIENTIFIC  HEALING  255 

pathic  medication,  as  they  did  under  the  regular  allopathic 
drugging.  This,  of  course,  led  the  medical  profession  to 
examine  more  carefully  into  the  effects  of  medicines  and 
dosage,  and  pointed  the  way  toward  a  universal  reduction  in 
the  use  and  dose  of  drugs.  The  use  of  medicines  by  modern 
physicians  is  becoming  more  and  more  restricted  and  more 
and  more  precise.  Drugs  are  now  generally  used  only  in  cer- 
tain diseases.  They  are  administered  to  accomplish  specific 
purposes,  or  to  relieve  certain  well-defined  symptoms. 

What  the  homeopaths  did  in  limiting  the  use  of  drugs,  the 
hydropaths  did  in  calling  the  attention  of  doctors  to  the  won- 
derful possibilities  connected  with  the  intelligent  and  scientific 
use  of  hot  and  cold  water.  The  electropaths  came  forward 
with  the  therapeutic  uses  of  electricity.  And  again,  more  re- 
cently, the  osteopaths,  notwithstanding  their  extravagant  and 
unwarranted  claims,  have  performed  a  valuable  missionary 
service,  not  at  present  fully  recognized  or  appreciated,  but  nev- 
ertheless, valuable,  by  calling  the  attention  of  medical  practi- 
tioners to  the  curative  value  of  manipulation,  massage,  and  vi- 
bration. And  so  all  these  sectarian  faddists  and  therapeutic 
specialists  have  contributed  to  the  evolution  and  expansion  of 
modern  medical  practice. 

During  the  transition  stage  of  therapeutic  procedures,  it  is 
not  to  be  wondered  at  that  extreme  positions  have  been  asswmed. 
We  must  not  expect  to  escape  this  transition  fanaticism  in  pass- 
ing from  one  regime  to  another.  Let  us  hope  that  the  practice 
of  medicine  has  largely  passed  through  this  unsettled  period, 
and  that  the  practitioner  of  the  future  will  be  a  broad-minded, 
wide-awake,  and  non-sectarian  physician,  using  every  known 
agency  and  method  which  science  has  demonstrated  will  pre- 
vent disease  or  aid  in  effecting  its  cure. 

THE   EVOLUTION   OF    MODERN    PSYCHOLOGY 

Until  recently  the  medical  profession  has  paid  but  little 
attention  to  the  treatment  of  psychic  disorders,  unless  they  as- 
sumed the  gravity  of  insanity  or  approached  near-lunacy. 
Mental  disturbances  have  been  either  ignored,  relegated  to 
quacks,  psychic  incompetents,  and  clairvoyants,  or  turned  over 
to  the  ministrations  of  the  theologians.     But  as  the  homeopath, 


256       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

the  hydropath,  and  the  osteopath,  by  the  establishment  of  their 
special  schools  of  therapeutics,  were  able  so  successfully  to 
demonstrate  the  value  of  their  methods  as  materially  to  change 
the  practices  of  the  so-called  old  school  of  medicine;  so  in  the 
last  generation  there  have  arisen  numerous  psychic  cults  and 
healing  "  isms,"  chief  of  which  is  Christian  Science,  whose 
phenomenal  success  in  relieving  psychic  distress  and  appar- 
ently curing  many  physical  disorders,  has  compelled  the  medical 
profession  to  stop  and  consider  —  to  recognize  the  colossal 
blunder  of  medicine,  its  continued  ignoring  of  the  tremendous 
possibilities  centred  in  the  mind  as  a  preventive  agent  and  a 
therapeutic  power  in  the  physician's  work  of  dealing  with  the 
sufferings  and  afflictions  of  the  human  race. 

And  so  we  are  now  in  the  midst  of  the  fanatical  transition 
period  in  which  psychotherapy  and  psychic  "  isms  "  are  passing 
from  the  stage  of  superstition  and  empiricism,  from  the  hands 
of  the  ignorant  and  the  incompetent,  into  full  recognition  and 
appreciation  on  the  part  of  men  of  science,  to  be  successfully 
and   scientifically   applied   by  men   of   medicine. 

The  early  hydropath  made  such  unwarranted  and  extrav- 
agant claims  for  his  water-cure  that  his  methods  were  soon 
brought  into  disrepute  in  medical  circles.  Likewise  the  present- 
day  psychopath  makes  unscientific  and  absurd  claims  for  his 
new  school  of  treatment.  The  physiological  and  psychological 
laboratories  are  slowly  pointing  out  the  false  and  establishing 
the  true;  and  so,  while  psychotherapy  may  never  become  such 
an  exact  science  as  materia  medica  or  hydrotherapy,  the  pres- 
ent generation  undoubtedly  will  witness  the  further  evolution 
o£  psychic  teaching  to  that  point  where  it  will  be  rescued  from 
the  limbo  of  religious  fanaticism  and  be  permanently  estab- 
lished upon  a  sound  basis  of  scientific  physiology  and  approved 
psychology 

THE    SPIRITISTIC   DELUGE 

Humanity  in  its  philosophical  teaching  forever  surges  in 
generation  cycles  from  one  great  extreme  to  another.  The 
last  century  grew  increasingly  materialistic  until,  near  its  close, 
the  world  passed  through  an  era  of  great  scientific  progress, 
accompanied  by  a  very  general  reaction  against  the  superstitious 


THE  DAWN  OF  SCIENTIFIC  HEALING         257 

theology  and  the  empiric  therapeutics  of  preceding  generations. 
But  the  materialistic  revolt  was  carried  too  far;  rationalism 
was  run  to  the  ground,  so  that  the  close  of  the  last  century  and 
the  dawn  of  the  present  witnessed  a  new  revolt  against  the 
materialistic  teaching  of  medicine  and  the  rationalistic  dogmas 
of  science. 

The  common  people  were  suffering  from  moral  starvation 
and  spiritual  inanition,  and,  when  Mrs.  Eddy  and  her  kin  un- 
furled their  spiritistic  banner  and  raised  the  battle  cry  of 
"  All  spirit  and  no  matter,"  the  famished  people  rallied  to  the 
standard  of  her  teaching  by  tens  of  thousands,  finding  it  more 
satisfying  and  cheering  to  believe  the  new  doctrine  of  "  all 
soul  and  no  body  "  than  to  feed  further  upon  the  scientific  husks 
and  erroneous  teaching  of  "  all  body  and  no  soul." 

The  time  has  come  for  sensible  men  and  women  to  look  this 
proposition  squarely  in  the  face.  Nothing  is  to  be  gained  by 
scientists  and  men  of  medicine  ridiculing  and  poking  fun  at 
Christian  Science.  As  a  profession,  we  are  largely  to  blame 
for  bringing  this  flood  of  spiritism  upon  the  world.  The  more 
earnestly  and  actively  we  wage  scientific  warfare  on  these 
various  healing  "  isms  "  and  psychic  deceptions,  the  more  cer-* 
tainly  and  strongly  will  they  become  enthroned  as  a  religion 
in  the  hearts  of  their  advocates  and  devotees. 

The  physician  and  the  minister  can  ridicule  Christian  Science 
and  show  its  utter  fallacy,  but  this  will  have  but  little  influence 
on  the  patient  whom  they  failed  to  help  or  cure,  and  who  sub- 
sequently was  cured  under  its  influence  and  teaching.  Let 
science  and  theology  learn  the  lesson  which  Christian  Science 
is  designed  to  teach,  that  is,  the  power  of  mind  over  matter. 
Let  rational  psychotherapy  become  a  part  of  the  practice  of 
medicine  in  the  life  of  every  physician;  let  moral  therapeutics 
come  into  its  own.  Let  every  physician  and  surgeon  recognize 
that  he  is  ministering  not  only  to  a  physical  organism,  but  that 
he  is  also  dealing  with  a  marvellous  mind.  Let  men  of  medi- 
cine come  to  recognize  that  man  is  a  moral  and  spiritual  being. 

THE    SCOPE     OF     MODERN     THERAPEUTICS 

We  are  now  in  the  midst  of  a  great  revolution  in  thera- 
peutics.    The  practice  of  medicine  has  gradually  evolved  until 


258       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

the  physician  of  the  present  is  coming  to  appreciate  the  impor- 
tance of  preventing  disease,  and,  in  case  his  efforts  fail,  of 
treating  the  patient,  and  not  simply  the  disease.  To-day,  the 
doctor  combats  the  causes  of  disease  instead  of  merely  sup- 
pressing its  symptoms.  The  highest  present  conception  of 
the  work  of  the  physician  in  his  relation  to  the  people  may  be 
summarized  as  follows: 

1.  Prophylaxis,  the  prevention  of  disease.  The  chief  pur- 
pose and  aim  of  all  physicians,  excepting  those  possibly  who 
may  be  purely  commercial,  is  to  prevent  disease  —  so  effect- 
ually to  inoculate  the  race  with  the  principles  of  hygiene  that 
the  great  world-plagues  eventually  will  be  driven  from  the  face 
of  the  earth,  while  the  host  of  chronic  diseases  due  to  erroneous 
mental  habits  and  unwholesome  physical  practices  will  be 
gradually  eliminated. 

2.  Psychic  therapy.  The  proper  treatment  of  mental  dis- 
turbances ranging  from  fear  and  worry  up  to  insanity,  must 
become  a  part  of  the  physician's  work.  The  prevention  of 
physical  disorders  by  means  of  psychic  control  and  the  treat- 
ment of  functional  disturbances  by  the  aid  of  the  mental  powers 
in  cooperation  with  all  other  known  methods  of  preventing  and 
combating  disease. 

3.  Moral  therapy.  The  time  has  come  for  the  physician 
not  only  to  recognize  the  value  of  psychotherapy,  not  merely  to 
accept  "  mind  cure  "  in  its  ordinarily  accepted  meaning,  but  to 
espouse  the  cause  of  moral  therapy,  to  recognize  the  moral 
nature  of  man,  to  accept  the  self-evident  teaching  that  man  is 
by  nature  a  religious  animal,  and  that  the  highest  health  of 
mind  and  body  can  hardly  be  attained  without  giving  due  and 
proper  attention  to  the  nutrition  of  the  moral  and  spiritual 
natures. 

4.  Physical  therapy.  It  is  a  cause  for  rejoicing  to  the 
author  to  witness  the  almost  universal  acceptance  on  the  part 
of  the  medical  world  of  those  methods  of  treating  disease  com- 
monly included  under  the  term  "  physiologic  therapeutics  " ;  by 
which  is  meant  the  use  of  water,  electricity,  exercise,  massage, 
vibration,  diet,  rest,  light,  heat,  and  fresh  air.  After  all,  the  utili- 
zation of  this  group  of  natural  agencies  constitutes  the  most 


THE  DAWN  OF  SCIENTIFIC  HEALING  250 

useful  and  most  powerful  procedure  known  to  modern  therapeu- 
tics. 

5.  Medicinal  therapy.  Future  generations  will  undoubt- 
edly come  to  regard  drugs  as  least  in  value  of  all  the  known 
methods  of  preventing  and  curing  disease;  nevertheless,  there 
will  always  be  a  useful  field  for  medicine.  First,  in  preventing 
disease,  the  employment  of  antiseptics  is  of  inestimable  value 
in  killing  microbes,  as  illustrated  in  the  use  of  ordinary  gargles 
to  destroy  the  microbes  in  incipient  sore  throat,  as  well  as  the 
germicidal  substances  employed  to  disinfect  the  stools  of  the 
typhoid  patient.  Second,  in  cases  of  specific  medication,  such 
as  the  use  of  quinine  to  destroy  the  parasites  of  malaria.  No 
doubt,  in  the  future,  many  other  specific  causes  of  disease  will 
be  discovered,  in  which  the  internal  use  of  proper  medicinal 
substances  or  appropriate  serums  will  prove  of  great  value,  as 
in  the  case  of  antitoxin  in  diphtheria. 

It  is  certainly  unbecoming  our  good  judgment  to  swing  so 
radically  from  one  great  extreme  to  the  other.  Having  de- 
tected the  materialistic  errors  of  the  last  century  and  having 
recognized  the  folly  of  exclusive  and  excessive  drug  medica- 
tion, let  us  carefully  study  our  principles  and  stay  our  judg- 
ment, and  not  make  the  absurd  mistake  of  swinging  over  to 
such  extremes  that  we  deny,  on  the  one  hand,  the  existence  of 
the  material  body,  with  its  possibilities  of  disease  and  deform- 
ity; while,  on  the  other  hand,  we  repudiate  the  moral  and 
spiritual  nature  of  man.  Let  us  not  now  swing  the  therapeutic 
pendulum  so  far  to  the  other  extreme  that  we  shall  become  so 
fearful  of  medicine  as  to  refuse  to  use  soap  on  our  hands  be- 
cause we  discover  it  is  a  drug  —  sodium  oleate  —  or  discard 
common  table  salt  because  it,  too,  is  a  medicinal  substance  — 
sodium  chloride. 

MODERN    METHODS   OF   INVESTIGATING  DISEASE 

We  are  warranted  in  entertaining  the  hope  that  we  have 
largely  passed  through  the  day  of  empiric  therapeutics  and  the 
irrational  treatment  of  disease.  Considerable  forbearance 
should  be  shown  toward  the  therapeutic  blunders  of  the  last 
century,  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  doctors  of  that  day  were  not 
in  possession  of  so  complete  a  knowledge  of  the  nature  and 


26o       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

cause  of  disease  as  we  are  blessed  with  at  present.  While 
there  are  numerous  diseases,  notably  cancer,  which  still  baffle 
our  profession  and  have  so  far  withstood  all  efforts  to  discover 
their  cause,  nevertheless,  one  by  one  the  important  diseases 
which  afflict  the  human  race  are  yielding  up  their  secrets  to 
the  persistent  researches  of  the  laboratory  and  the  careful 
observations  of  the  clinic.  (See  Fig.  24.)  Each  new  dis- 
covery of  the  cause  of  disease  points  the  way  to  the  possible 
discovery  of  a  cure. 

In  the  development  of  the  new  methods  of  investigating  and 
diagnosing  disease,  it  was  only  natural  that  the  physical  or 
material  disorders  should  receive  first  attention;  and  so,  begin- 
ning with  the  discovery  of  the  microscope,  the  study  of  the 
cells  of  the  body,  and  the  pathologic  changes  found  in  certain 
diseases  has  progressed  steadily,  until  at  the  present  time  nearly 
all  the  serious  chronic  diseases  which  afflict  the  race  can  be 
diagnosed  by  the  appearance  of  the  diseased  cells  when  viewed 
under  the  microscope. 

And  so,  while  it  was  but  natural  that  the  physical  changes 
connected  with  the  phenomena  of  disease  should  receive  first 
attention,  we  are  now  in  the  midst  of  a  great  awakening  re- 
specting the  importance  of  carefully  studying  and  classifying 
the  mental  or  psychic  causes  of  disease.  To-day,  we  stand  on 
the  brink  of  a  new  era  —  the  dawn  of  modern  scientific  psycho- 
therapy. And  it  is  the  author's  purpose  in  the  preparation 
of  this  volume  to  present  the  facts,  the  fundamental  principles, 
to  state  our  present  knowledge  concerning  the  development  of 
this  new  science  of  mental  healing. 

THE    NEW    PSYCHIC    TEACHING 

Every  new  method  of  treating  disease  has  been  largely  empir- 
ical in  its  early  history,  and  not  infrequently  accompanied  by 
much  superstition  and  fanaticism.  Almost  without  exception 
every  new  therapeutic  discovery  is  heralded  to  the  world  as  a 
cure-all.  And  this  is  not  strange.  If  some  disease  that  has 
heretofore  resisted  all  efforts  at  treatment  is  partially  or  wholly 
relieved,  it  is  not  surprising  that  the  newly  discovered  remedy 
should  have  its  initial  use  enthusiastically  published  abroad. 

And  so  it  was  with  psychotherapy.     Tens  of  thousands  of 


nG.2  5.    A   MODERN  PSYCHOLOGICAL   LABORAtOP:V>P/)5i:?Ht  STUDY  Of  TH't',fr?IN*D. 


THE  DAWN  OF  SCIENTIFIC  HEALING  261 

honest  people  were  weighed  down  under  a  burden  of  sorrow 
and  held  in  bondage  by  shackles  of  fear.  They  had  patiently 
sought  the  aid  of  the  doctor  and  his  medicines  on  the  one  hand, 
they  penitently  attended  the  preacher  and  his  theology  on  the 
other,  all  without  avail.  It  is  little  wonder  then  when  such  an 
army  of  downcast,  despondent,  and  heart-broken  captives  con- 
fined in  the  prison-house  of  fear,  suddenly  discovered  the  pos- 
sibility of  escaping  from  their  prison,  that  they  immediately 
and  enthusiastically  entered  into  the  joys  and  privileges  of  their 
new-found  mental  freedom  and  moral  peace;  it  is  little  wonder 
that  they  availed  themselves  of  the  opportunity  and  welcomed 
deliverance  from  their  psychic  sorrows  and  physical  distress, 
in  the  teachings  and  consolations  of  the  various  mental  cults 
and  healing  "  isms,"  which  have  thrived  and  are  now  thriving 
in  our  midst. 

How  can  we  consistently  blame  our  fellows  for  this  land- 
slide to  the  psychic  teachers,  when  we  gave  them  no  relief  or 
consolation?  They  repeatedly  sought  our  help,  but  in  vain. 
Should  we  chide  them  for  clinging  to  the  idol  which  has 
wrought  their  temporary  deliverance,  even  though  we  know 
that  idol  to  be  a  false  god  ?  Let  us  rather  renovate  the  halls 
of  science  and  rejuvenate  the  temples  of  religion;  let  us  dig 
deep  for  the  facts  and  search  carefully  for  the  gems  of  truth ; 
let  the  true  scientists  of  this  century  erect  an  altar  to  the  God 
of  Truth;  let  the  philosophy  of  modern  psychotherapy  become 
so  free  from  error  and  delusion  as  to  beckon  the  materialist 
to  come  forward  and  accept  the  teaching  which  portrays  the 
true  relation  between  mind  and  matter;  while,  on  the  other 
hand,  it  beckons  the  spiritist  to  descend  from  the  delusional 
clouds  of  mysticism  and  accept  a  gospel  of  mental  healing 
which  is  amenable  to  scientific  proof  and  acceptable  to  human 
reason. 

And  so  the  psychology  of  to-day,  the  psychotherapy  of  the 
present,  is  being  investigated  by  methods  of  precision;  it  is 
being  tested  out  in  the  laboratory  and  the  clinic  (See  Fig.  25.), 
and  the  next  few  years  will  witness  the  formulation  of  a  sys- 
tem of  psychic  teaching  which  will  unite  the  intelligent  minds 
of  the  world  on  all  the  essential  features  of  the  mental  factor 
in  medical  practice. 


262       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

No  doubt,  theological  buccaneers  will  continue  to  seize  upon 
the  psychic  factor  in  therapeutics  and  endeavor  further  to  mys- 
tify it  as  a  means  of  advancing  sectarian  religious  propaganda. 
Homeopathy  and  osteopathy  have  certainly  become  a  sort  of 
religion  with  some  people,  for  the  same  reasons,  and  in  still 
a  larger  measure,  psychic  philosophy,  better  known  by  the 
names  of  Christian  Science,  Divine  Healing,  and  New  Thought, 
will  undoubtedly  continue  to  be  vested  with  religious  authority 
and  dignified  with  theological  sanctity  for  years  to  come;  but 
notwithstanding  all  this,  modern  psychotherapy  is  destined  to 
command  the  respect  of  thinking  people,  and  eventually  to 
stand  separate  and  apart  from  all  sectarian  connections  and 
fanatical  religious  teachings.  Not  that  psychic  teaching 
should  not  be  associated  with  religious  work  —  it  should;  but 
that  sectarian  religions,  as  such,  shall  not  be  confounded  and 
confused  with  the  natural  psychic  powers  which  exist  inde- 
pendent of  any  and  all  sects,  cults,  "  isms,"  and  other  special 
propaganda. 

PSYCHOTHERAPY    AND    HYGIENE 

In  this  volume,  the  author  has  endeavored  to  tell  the  truth 
about  psychic  influences  and  their  relation  to  the  body,  but 
while  we  are  thus  seeking  to  present  the  facts  in  the  case  and 
do  justice  to  a  long-neglected  subject,  we  would  much  regret 
it  if  our  efforts  should  be  misunderstood  and  misconstrued  into 
meaning  that  psychotherapy  or  mind  cure  was  regarded  as  an 
exclusive  system  of  treating  disease,  as  the  sovereign  remedy 
for  all  the  ills  to  which  human  flesh  is  heir.  In  order  to  make 
this  matter  perfectly  clear,  it  should  be  here  stated  that  we 
regard  psychotherapy  as  but  a  part  of  the  great  system  of  pre- 
venting, treating,  and  healing  disease,  and  that  its  most 
successful  employment  is  in  connection  with  moral  suggestion 
and  in  association  with  various  forms  of  physical  therapy. 

It  has  been  the  author's  experience  that  but  few  patients 
stand  in  need  of  exclusive  psychotherapeutic  treatment.  Pa- 
tients requiring  psychic  procedures  are  usually  in  need  of  moral 
encouragement  on  the  one  hand,  and  physical  help  on  the  other. 
We  regard  the  following  remedial  procedures  as  highly  useful, 
and  most  usually  essential  to  the  success  of  psychotherapeutic 
practice. 


THE  DAWN  OF  SCIENTIFIC  HEALING  263 

1.  Hydrotherapy.  The  scientific  application  of  hot  and  cold 
water  —  various  baths,  both  hygienic  and  medical,  by  their 
power  to  influence  the  circulation,  digestion,  assimilation,  and 
oxidation,  are  of  marvellous  healing  value;  while  their  use  in 
numerous  acute  diseases  is  very  gratifying,  as  in  the  control  of 
fever.  Baths  may  be  administered  so  as  to  act  as  a  stimulant 
in  certain  chronic  diseases,  while  they  may  be  so  modified  as  to 
act  as  a  sedative  in  numerous  nervous  conditions.  The  skilful 
use  of  water  constitutes  one  of  the  most  powerful  remedial 
agencies  which  may  be  used  to  preserve  health  and  combat 
disease. 

2.  Thermotherapy.  Heat  and  cold  in  various  forms,  such 
as  hot  air  baths,  are  exceedingly  useful  in  many  forms  of  acute 
and  chronic  disease, 

3.  Phototherapy.  The  use  of  sun  baths  or  the  employment 
of  the  electric  light,  more  particularly  the  rays  of  the  electric 
arclight,  constitutes  one  of  the  most  valuable  and  helpful  meth- 
ods of  treating  many  common  diseases. 

4.  Electrotherapy.  Much  that  is  connected  with  electro- 
therapeutic  practice  is  largely  psychotherapy  in  disguise,  never- 
theless, there  are  numerous  applications  of  electricity  which 
are  of  definite  and  positive  value  in  the  treatment  of  various 
diseases. 

5.  Massotherapy.  Massage,  embracing  special  and  general 
manipulations  and  manual  Swedish  movements  (so-called 
osteopathy)  are  all  of  value  in  treating  certain  diseases. 

6.  Vibrotherapy.  All  forms  of  mechanical  vibration,  oscil- 
lation, and  treatment  by  mechanical  devices,  are  of  great  value 
when  suitably  employed. 

7.  Dietetics.  One  of  the  chief  factors  in  the  treatment  of 
disease  consists  in  the  regulation  of  the  diet.  No  physical  treat- 
ment or  psychic  influence  can  take  the  place  of  scientifically 
feeding  the  body  and  properly  adapting  the  diet  to  the  needs  of 
the  patient,  his  work,  and  his  disease. 

8.  Climate.  With  some  special  diseases,  climate  is  of  great 
value,  and  must  be  taken  into  consideration  in  all  plans  for  the 
preservation  or  restoration  of  health. 

9.  Special  therapy.     Radium,   X-ray,  serums,  and  other  ap- 


264       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

pliances  all  have  their  place  in  the  twentieth  century  thera- 
peutics. 

10.  Sanitation.  All  phases  of  sanitation  are  of  importance 
in  the  preservation  of  health,  including  ventilation,  exercise, 
quarantine,  disinfection,  and  sewage  disposal. 

11.  Materia  Medica.  In  many  cases  medicines  are  of  actual 
value  in  combating  disease;  they  are  of  great  service  in  tem- 
porarily relieving  pain,  and  otherwise  preventing  human 
suffering.  The  most  rabid  enemy  of  drugs  will  recognize  the 
value  of  an  anaesthetic  when  a  major  surgical  operation  is  neces- 
sary, and  even  the  devotees  of  the  extreme  psychic  cults  will  sel- 
dom hesitate  to  use  laxatives  and  cathartics  to  move  the  bowels. 

SUMMARY  OF  THE   CHAPTER 

1.  The  twentieth  century  witnessed  the  birth  of  a  new  era  in 
the  art  of  healing.  The  practice  of  medicine  is  undergoing  a 
silent  revolution.  Future  methods  of  treatment  will  become 
more  simple,  natural,  precise,  and  scientific. 

2.  The  healing  of  disease  has  been  more  of  an  art  than  a 
science.  The  practice  of  medicine  has  been  shackled  with  super- 
stition and  handicapped  with  ignorance.  Therapeutics  is  rapidly 
breaking  away  from  ancient  delusions  and  sectarian  prejudices. 

3.  The  passing  of  the  old-time  authority  of  the  family  physi- 
cian is  due  to  a  world-wide  scientific  awakening  —  the  universal 
diffusion  of  hygienic  knowledge.  The  minister  has  likewise  de- 
clined in  public  prestige. 

4.  The  last  century  will  go  down  in  history  as  the  era  of  pro- 
miscuous drugging.  Patent  medicines  have  contributed  to 
undermining  the  national  health.  Homeopathy  was  a  contribut- 
ing influence  in  lessening  the  professional  and  popular  use  of 
drugs. 

5.  Hydropaths  and  osteopaths  have  emphasized  valuable 
therapeutic  procedures  which  are  destined  to  become  generally 
recognized  and  employed  by  regular  physicians.  Therapeutic 
specialism,  while  often  extreme  and  unscientific,  serves  the  im- 
portant purpose  of  arousing  the  people  and  awakening  the 
doctor. 

6.  As  homeopathy  emphasized  the  harmfulness  of  over-medi- 
cation, Christian  Science  and  allied  cults  are  calling  the  attention 


THE  DAWN  OF  SCIENTIFIC  HEALING  265 

of  the  medical  profession  to  their  utter  neglect  of  psychotherapy 
and  moral  therapy.  We  are  now  in  the  midst  of  the  fanatical 
transition  stage  of  psychic  teaching.  This  is  the  formative 
period  of  a  new  psychology. 

7.  The  last  generation  witnessed  a  materialistic  reaction 
against  theological  superstition  and  medical  empiricism.  The 
twentieth  century  was  ushered  in  with  a  spiritistic  revolt  against 
materialism  and  rationalism. 

8.  The  teaching  of  "  all  spirit  and  no  matter  "  is  more  accept- 
able to  the  people  than  the  dogma  of  "  all  matter  and  no  spirit." 
Instead  of  ridiculing  the  psychic  cults,  let  scientists  raise  the 
standard  of  true  psychotherapy  and  moral  suggestion. 

9.  The  physician  of  to-day  aims  at  the  prevention  of  disease. 
Modern  therapeutics  treats  the  man,  not  merely  the  disease. 
Science  works  to  detect  and  remove  the  causes  of  disease,  not 
simply  to  suppress  the  symptoms. 

ID.  The  physician's  work  in  behalf  of  the  patient  and  the 
community  may  be  summarized  under  five  heads:  (i)  Prophy- 
laxis. (2)  Psychotherapy.  (3)  Moral  therapy.  (4)  Physical 
therapy.     (5)   Medicinal  therapy. 

11.  Each  new  discovery  of  the  cause  of  disease  points  the 
way  to  a  possible  discovery  of  the  remedy.  While  the  physical 
causes  of  disease  were  the  first  to  be  discovered,  the  psychic 
influences  concerned  in  disease  are  now  being  scientifically 
studied. 

12.  Every  new  therapeutic  agent  has  been  empiric  in  its  early 
use,  and  was  usually  heralded  to  the  world  as  a  cure-all.  The 
beneficiaries  of  psychotherapy  are  all  too  enthusiastic  in  its 
glorification.  Physicians  of  to-day  should  rescue  psychotherapy 
from  the  limbo  of  empiricism  and  fanaticism,  and  establish  it 
upon  a  sound  basis  of  physiological  psychology.  It  is  to  be 
deplored  that  psychotherapy  should  be  converted  into  a  religion. 

13.  Scientific  mind  cure  (psychotherapy)  is  not  an  exclusive 
system  of  treating  disease,  it  is  merely  a  factor  in  the  modern 
system  of  preventive  and  curative  medicine.  Psychotherapy 
should  be  associated  with  moral  suggestion  and  various  phases 
of  physical  therapy,  such  as  hydrotherapy,  electrotherapy,  light 
therapy,  massage,  dietetics,  sanitation,  and  all  other  useful 
remedial  agencies. 


CHAPTER    XXV 

PSYCHO-PROPHYLAXIS,  OR  MENTAL  HYGIENE 

Fearful  emotions. —  The  psychic  element  in  the  circula- 
tion.—  High-pressure  living. —  The  mental  factor  in 
vital  resistance. —  How  the  mind  can  prevent  indiges- 
tion.—  The  mental  influence  over  secretion. —  Nutri- 
tion AS  RELATED  TO  THE  MENTAL    STATE. ThE  PSYCHIC   SIDE 

OF  DEEP  BREATHING. ThE  MIND  AND  THE  MUSCULAR  SYSTEM. 

How   THE    MIND    INFLUENCES    ANIMAL    HEAT. The    BRAIN 

AND  THE  NERVOUS  SYSTEM. SuMMARY  OF  THE  CHAPTER. 

THAT  old  saying,  "  Prevention  is  better  than  cure,"  is  as 
true  of  mental  hygiene  as  it  is  of  physical  hygiene.  Prob- 
ably the  greatest  service  which  the  mind  can  render  the  body  is 
along  the  lines  of  preventing  disease  and  maintaining  health. 
A  healthy  and  natural  state  of  mind  possesses  curative  value  in 
various  diseases,  and  the  abnormal  mind  is  known  to  be  an 
actual  cause  of  certain  maladies ;  nevertheless,  it  is  in  the  realm 
of  prophylaxis  (the  prevention  of  disease)  that  the  healing  in- 
fluences of  the  psychic  powers  figure  most  conspicuously. 

Man  can  live  at  the  equator,  or  exist  at  the  poles ;  he  can  eat 
almost  anything  and  everything  —  but  he  cannot  long  stand 
self -contemplation.  The  human  mind  can  accomplish  wonders 
in  the  line  of  work,  but  it  is  soon  wrecked  when  directed  in  the 
channels  of  worry.  The  practice  of  bodily  hygiene  cannot  be 
carried  on  successfully  without  the  cooperation  of  the  mental 
powers,  and  this  psychic  assistance  we  term  psycho-prophylaxis, 
or  mental  hygiene. 

Throughout  this  chapter  and  elsewhere,  the  author  makes  free 
use  of  such  expressions  as  "  mental  control  prevents  high  blood- 
pressure  " ;  "  worry  emaciates  its  victims  " ;  "  faith  prevents 
fatigue,"  .  I  freely  use  such  expressions  without  throwing  my- 

366 


PSYCHO-PROPHYLAXIS  267 

self  liable  to  the  charge  of  pedantry;  for  I  might  consistently 
employ,  as  indeed  I  sometimes  do,  what  may  seem  to  the  general 
reader  a  much  stronger  type  of  expression,  such  as :  "  mental 
control  is  equivalent  to  the  prevention  of  high  blood-pressure  " ; 
"  worry  is  the  emaciation  of  its  victims  " ;  "  faith  is  equal  to  the 
prevention  of  fatigue."  In  adopting  such  language  I  should  be 
in  strict  conformity  with  the  usage  of  reputable  specialists  in 
the  study  of  problems  of  the  mind.  If,  in  most  instances,  the 
popular  mode  of  expression  is  employed,  the  author  does  so 
merely  as  a  matter  of  convenience. 

FEARFUL    EMOTIONS 

Most  functional  and  chronic  diseases  result  from  derange- 
ments of  the  nervous  system,  due  in  many  cases  to  depression 
of  the  nerve  centres.  This  depression  or  fatigue  of  the  nerve 
centres  is  largely  due  to  two  great  causes,  toxicity  —  the  pres- 
ence of  poisons  in  the  circulation;  and  fear  —  chronic  worry 
and  despondency. 

Drugs  and  other  agencies  possess  the  power  of  greatly  stim-  ) 
ulating  and  marvellously  arousing  certain  debilitated  and  weak- 
ened nerve  centres.  It  is  now  known  that  the  mind  —  the  will  — 
possesses  similar  power.  Drugs  and  other  material  means  do 
not  possess  curative  power,  except  in  cases  of  specific  medica- 
tion, as  quinine  in  malaria,  and  antitoxin  in  diphtheria.  It  is  the 
reaction  of  the  body  to  medicine  or  treatment  that  effects  the 
cure.  It  is  the  arousal  of  the  natural  and  inherent  powers  of 
the  living  organism  that  heals  and  restores. 

It  not  infrequently  develops  that  psychic  influences  can  in- 
vigorate and  arouse  the  sleeping  and  lethargic  nerve  centres 
just  as  acceptably  as  can  chemical  and  physical  agents.  At  least, 
the  psychic  factor  in  preventing  and  treating  disease  must  be 
recognized  as  one  of  the  chief  factors  in  speedy  recovery  and 
permanent  health. 

We  must  admit  that  the  jurisdiction  of  the  mind  over  the 
physical  body  has  its  limits,  but  these  limitations  have  as  yet  not 
been  accurately  defined  or  definitely  ascertained.  While  the 
psychic  powers  concerned  in  health  and  disease  are  by  no  means 
unlimited,  while  they  are  more  or  less  unknown,  they  constitute 
a  force  for  health  which  is  far  greater  than  the  average  man 
imagines. 


268       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

THE  PSYCHIC  ELEMENT  IN  THE  CIRCULATION 

A  tranquil  state  of  mind  exerts  a  great  influence  toward  pre- 
venting numerous  disturbances  of  the  heart  action.  Faith  tends 
to  preserve  the  natural  rate  and  rhythm  of  the  heart-beat.  Cour- 
age and  confidence  are  undoubtedly  able  to  improve  the  cardiac 
nutrition  and  to  increase  the  strength  of  the  heart-beat,  through 
their  favorable  influence  in  regulating  the  heart  action,  thereby 
increasing  the  amount  of  rest  obtained  between  beats.  The 
mental  state  of  determination  is  even  able  to  postpone  the  hour 
of  inevitable  heart  failure  in  the  face  of  approaching  death. 
We  have  previously  shown  that  faith  exerts  a  wonderful  in- 
fluence over  the  nervous  centres  of  the  heart. 

A  well-balanced  mental  state  prevents  some  common  but  in- 
jurious emotional  disturbances  of  the  heart's  action,  as  well  as 
certain  fictitious  sensations  and  mock  pains  which  appear  to  have 
their  existence  in  the  cardiac  region.  Cheerfulness,  by  favoring 
low  blood-pressure,  actually  tends  to  prevent  and  lessen  arterio- 
sclerosis or  hardening  of  the  arteries.  A  good  state  of  mind 
also  favors  a  good  circulation  through  the  skin,  preventing 
vascular  spasm  which  is  so  often  responsible  for  inactive  skin 
and  chronic  cold  hands  and  feet. 

The  mental  state  has  a  large  part  to  play  toward  the  preven- 
tion of  local  congestions,  because  of  its  power  to  increase  and 
facilitate  the  general  blood  movement  throughout  the  body.  The 
mind  is,  in  a  certain  measure,  able  to  contribute  toward  the 
prevention  of  heart  failure  as  well  as  of  apoplexy  and  its  con- 
sequent paralysis. 

HIGH-PRESSURE  LIVING 

The  psychic  resources  constitute  the  one  great  influence  which 
can  be  exerted  toward  the  prevention  of  nervous  high-tension. 
The  high-pressure  life  of  our  present  civilization  is  partially 
due  to  the  psychjc  state  as  well  as  to  certain  physical  practices. 
A  well-balanced  mental  control  prevents  worry  and  eliminates 
grief,  which,  in  a  large  measure,  are  responsible  for  the  univer- 
sal high  nervous  tension  and  elevated  blood-pressure. 

Mental  serenity  and  moral  peace  directly  contribute  to  the 
prevention  of  nervousness  and  the  maintenance  of  normal 
blood-pressure.  Moral  self-condemnation  unfailingly  raises  the 
arterial  tension. 


PSYCHO-PROPHYLAXIS  269 

The  control  of  the  imagination,  together  with  the  maintenance 
of  a  healthy  mental  state,  is  equivalent  to  the  prevention  of  the 
creation  of  countless  imaginary  diseases  and  to  the  dissipation 
of  those  vague  and  uncertain  sensations  which  otherwise  might 
come  to  be  recognized  as  actual  pain. 

THE  MENTAL  FACTOR   IN  VITAL   RESISTANCE 

Psychic  influences  are  greatly  concerned  in  maintaining  and 
strengthening  the  vital  resistance.  The  ability  to  resist  numer- 
ous diseases  is  in  exact  ratio  to  mental  courage  and  moral  confi- 
dence. A  healthy  state  of  mind  conserves  the  red  blood  cells, 
and  is  a  valuable  influence  in  preventing  and  combating  anaemia. 
There  is  every  evidence  that  the  maintenance  of  a  strong  and 
natural  mental  attitude  is  an  actual  aid  in  the  body's  efforts  to 
resist  infection  through  the  medium  of  the  white  blood  cells, 
which  possess  the  extraordinary  power  of  catching  and  destroy- 
ing the  microbes  of  disease. 

It  is  interesting  in  this  connection  to  quote  Goethe  on  the 
power  of  the  mind  to  resist  disease.  He  says :  "  I  was  once  in- 
evitably exposed  to  the  infection  of  a  malignant  fever,  and 
warded  off  the  disease  only  by  means  of  determined  volition.  It 
is  almost  incredible  how  much,  in  such  cases,  the  moral  will  can 
effect!  It  seems  to  permeate  one's  whole  being  and  to  render 
the  condition  of  the  body  active  enough  to  repel  all  harmful  in- 
fluences. Fear  is  a  condition  of  sloth  in  which  any  enemy  may 
take  possession  of  us." 

Concerning  the  hygienic  influence  of  a  tranquil  mind,  Schiller 
wrote :  "  Who  can  fail  to  understand  that  a  constitution  able  to 
draw  pleasure  from  every  event  and  to  sink  every  personal  sor- 
row in  the  perfection  of  the  universe  must  also  be  most  profit- 
able to  this  bodily  machine  ?  " 

Cheerfulness  contributes  to  the  prevention  of  weariness  and 
fatigue  by  its  power  to  decrease  the  production  of  those  subtle 
poisons  which  are  generated  by  fear  and  worry,  and  which, 
when  thrown  into  the  blood  stream,  are  able  tremendously  to 
depress  the  sufferer. 

Psychic  influences  are  undoubtedly  able  to  hasten  the  process 
of  repair  and  encourage  the  work  of  healing,  following  both 
accidental  wounds  and  surgical  operations.     The  mental  and 


270       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

moral  powers  seem  to  be  able  to  exert  themselves  in  such  a 
manner  as  greatly  to  augment  the  vital  energies  of  the  physical 
body,  thereby  adding  greatly  to  its  power  to  resist  disease ;  and 
therefore,  in  the  last  analysis,  psychic  influences  are  found  to 
exert  themselves  toward  lowering  the  death  rate  and  increasing 
the  average  length  of  human  life. 

"Where  are  you  going?"  asked  an  Oriental  pilgrim  of  the 
Plague  one  day.  "  I  am  going  to  Bagdad  to  kill  five  thousand 
people,"  was  the  reply.  A  few  weeks  later  the  pilgrim  met  the 
Plague  returning.  "  You  told  me  you  were  going  to  Bagdad  to 
kill  five  thousand  people,"  said  the  pilgrim,  "but  instead  you 
killed  fifty  thousand."  "  No,"  said  the  Plague,  "  I  killed  only 
five  thousand,  as  I  said  I  would.    The  others  all  died  of  fright." 

HOW  THE  MIND  CAN   PREVENT  INDIGESTION 

The  hygienic  value  of  the  mental  state  is  nowhere  better  dem- 
onstrated than  in  the  study  of  secretion  and  digestion.  Psychic 
influences  are  the  chief  factors  in  the  furtherance  of  good 
digestion  and  the  prevention  of  dyspepsia.  Mental  influences 
are  able  to  increase  or  decrease  both  the  quality  and  the  quantity 
of  nearly  all  the  digestive  secretions,  particularly  those  of  the 
mouth  and  stomach.  The  quality  of  the  saliva  can  be  improved 
and  the  digestive  power  of  the  gastric  juice  increased  by  pleas- 
ant thoughts  and  a  healthy  mental  state. 

The  mind  possesses  almost  unlimited  power  which  can  be  ex- 
ercised toward  the  prevention  of  dyspepsia  and  the  improvement 
of  digestion.  The  courageous  and  vigorous  mental  states  may 
contribute  much  toward  the  prevention  of  slow  digestion  and 
inactivity  of  the  stomach  muscle,  which  conditions  are  so 
largely  responsible  for  dyspepsia  and  indigestion. 

The  mental  state  can  contribute  much  toward  the  prevention 
of  sour  stomach.  The  dyspeptic  who  is  confident  that  a  certain 
food  will  disagree  with  him  —  sour  on  his  stomach  —  is  almost 
sure  to  experience  indigestion  and  sour  stomach  if  he  eats  that 
particular  food.  On  the  other  hand,  faith  and  trust  encourage 
the  formation  and  secretion  of  the  powerful  "  psychic  juice," 
which  so  vigorously  and  promptly  attacks  the  food  on  entering 
the  stomach,  that  the  meal  is  so  quickly  carried  forward  in  the 
process  of  digestion  that  souring  is  effectively  prevented.    The 


PSYCHO-PROPHYLAXIS  271 

healthy  mental  state  further  favors  the  elaboration  of  a  well- 
balanced  gastric  juice,  contributing  to  the  lessening  of  acid 
over-production. 

Faith  increases  the  activity  of  all  muscles,  including  those  of 
the  stomach  and  bowel,  as  well  as  encouraging  the  work  of  the 
liver  and  pancreatic  gland  in  the  formation  of  their  normal 
secretions.  The  mental  and  nervous  states  are  also  concerned 
in  influencing  the  quality  and  quantity  of  the  intestinal  secre- 
tions, as  well  as  favoring  strong  intestinal  muscular  movements. 

THE    MENTAL    INFLUENCE    OVER    SECRETION 

Psychic  influences  are  very  powerful  in  regulating  the  secre- 
tion of  the  mammary  gland.  The  quality  of  the  milk  is 
immediately  improved  by  improving  the  mental  state.  Fear  and 
anger  are  able  immediately  to  deteriorate  and  poison  the  secre- 
tions of  this  important  gland.  Recent  investigations  are 
beginning  to  shed  a  flood  of  light  on  the  power  of  the  mind  to 
influence  and  control  the  secretions  of  the  numerous  ductless 
glands  —  the  pituitary  body,  the  thyroid  and  suprarenal  glands 
—  which  are  such  powerful  factors  in  the  regulation  of  nutrition 
and  growth. 

NUTRITION    AS    RELATED   TO   THE    MENTAL    STATE 

Psychic  influences  are  exceedingly  powerful  in  the  realm  of 
nutrition  and  metabolism.  Worry  can  quickly  emaciate  its  vic- 
tims, while  faith  and  courage  assist  in  quickly  building  up  and 
strengthening  the  body.  Fear  lessens  nutrition,  secretion,  and 
metabolism.  Faith  increases  oxidation  in  the  cell.  Good  cour- 
age strengthens  the  appetite,  while  confidence  and  cheerfulness 
improve  the  general  feeling  of  physical  well-being. 

The  proper  control  of  the  mind  prevents  all  harboring  of 
fear,  which  is  able  so  profoundly  to  pervert  and  destroy  every 
function  connected  with  health  and  nutrition.  Happy  people 
are  usually  healthy.  Cheerfulness  is  an  aid  to  preventing 
numerous  constitutional  disorders.  Faith  fortifies  the  system 
against  decay  and  disease  —  it  materially  assists  in  postponing 
your  funeral. 

THE    PSYCHIC    SIDE    OF    DEEP    BREATHING 

Faith  encourages  deep  and  natural  breathing,  while  fear  is 
equivalent  to  rendering  respiration   superficial  and  unnatural. 


272        THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

Cheerfulness  actually  possesses  the  power  of  increasing  re- 
spiratory depth,  thereby  increasing  the  oxygen  intake.  (See 
Fig.  26.)  The  assimilated  food  is  useless  to  the  body  without 
oxygen  to  burn  it  up.  The  courageous  man,  other  things  being 
equal,  is  the  deep  breather,  and  so  faith  is  able  to  expand  the 
chest,  increase  the  respiratory  function,  and  promote  oxidation 
changes. 

The  mental  state  is  also  able  to  exert  a  great  influence  toward 
the  prevention  of  various  abnormalities  connected  with  breath- 
ing, such  as  coughing,  and  asthmatic  attacks.  More  than  one- 
half  of  chronic  coughs  are  purely  nervous  in  origin  and  can  be 
largely  controlled  or  completely  cured  by  psychic  influence. 

Dr.  Bernheim  was  about  to  treat  with  electricity  a  young 
woman  who  was  afflicted  with  aphonia  (loss  of  voice).  Before 
doing  so  he  put  his  hand  over  the  larynx  and  moved  it  up  and 
down  and  said  to  her,  "  Now  you  can  speak  aloud."  He  told 
her  to  say  ''  Ah."     She  said  it,  and  the  aphonia  disappeared. 

THE   MIND  AND  THE  MUSCULAR  SYSTEM 

Mental  courage  augments  muscular  strength.  Faith  prevents 
fatigue,  while  fear  generates  weariness.  When  the  mental  state 
is  healthy,  the  physical  carriage  and  the  walking-gait  are  greatly 
improved.  Cheerfulness  contributes  to  the  prevention  of  stoop- 
shoulders  and  spinal  curvature. 

A  good  state  of  mind  undoubtedly  increases  the  working 
capacity;  that  is,  a  man  can  do  more  work  when  in  a  cheerful 
state  of  mind  than  he  can  when  depressed  and  discouraged. 
Faith  gives  one  those  powers  of  physical  exertion  which  are 
characteristic  of  the  play  state  of  mind  —  a  state  in  which  one 
is  able  to  perform  a  maximum  of  physical  work  with  a  minimum 
of  fatigue  and  physical  weariness.  The  maintenance  of  the 
strong  psychic  state  favors  that  high  degree  of  muscular  tone 
throughout  the  body  which  prevents  weakening  of  the  supports 
of  the  internal  organs,  and  this  prevents  the  tumbling  down  of 
the  viscera,  a  condition  so  prevalent  in  those  patients  with  re- 
laxed and  flabby  abdomens. 

It  is  related  that  "  during  the  naval  fight  off  Santiago,  while 
the  Oregon  was  pushing  after  the  Cristobal  Colon  under  forced 
draught,  the  stokers  were  nearly  overcome  by  their  labor,  and 


r 


^  A 


Chest  Breathing 
(wrong; 


N^'tupai^'^reafhiiT^' 


PIG.  26.-  INusf-ratth^  Ri^ht^nd  Wrong  Breathing. 


PSYCHO-PROPHYLAXIS  273 

the  tremendous  heat  of  the  hold.  As  yet  she  had  not  partaken  in 
the  fight.  The  chief  engineer,  noticing  the  condition  of  his 
men,  signalled  up  to  Captain  Clark,  '  Give  them  a  gun.'  The 
gun  was  given  —  and  exhaustion  passed  away  in  the  excitement 
of  the  belief  that  the  battle  had  begun." 

HOW  THE  MIND  INFLUENCES  ANIMAL  HEAT 

From  the  study  of  the  chapter  on  the  physiological  action  of 
the  mind  on  the  skin  and  the  heat-regulating  mechanism,  it  is 
apparent  that  psychic  influences  are  very  powerful  in  this  realm. 
The  mind  can  do  much  to  increase  the  circulation  of  blood  in 
the  skin  and  to  prevent  cutaneous  inactivity  and  lethargy.  In 
this  way,  a  good  mental  state  favors  normal  heat  elimination, 
promotes  local  blood  supply,  and  even  contributes  something  to 
the  prevention  of  common  colds.  Cheerfulness  promotes 
healthy  physical  feelings  and  favors  a  normal  recognition  of 
the  sensations  of  heat  and  cold,  while  fear  demoralizes  the  tem- 
perature sense  and  is  able  to  produce  shivering  and  actual  chills. 
Even  fever  is,  in  a  measure,  under  the  influence  of  the  mental 
state.  Fear  and  anxiety  may  raise  the  temperature,  while  in- 
tellectual composure  exerts  a  favorable  influence  upon  the  fever 
patient. 

THE  BRAIN   AND  THE  NERVOUS  SYSTEM 

When  we  come  to  the  consideration  of  the  psychic  control  of 
the  nervous  system,  we  are  face  to  face  with  the  chief  problem 
in  the  study  of  mind  and  matter.  The  nervous  system  is  the 
immediate  instrument  of  mind  and  is  almost  entirely  under  the 
control,  and  subject  to  the  domination,  of  the  psychic  state. 
Faith  and  good  cheer  favor  mental  endurance  and  seem  to  be 
actually  equivalent  to  an  increase  of  brain  energy.  The  state 
of  one's  mind  has  much  to  do  with  the  quality  of  the  brain 
work.  The  psychic  state  has  the  ability  to  increase  fatigue,  or 
to  enhance  rest.  The  mind  may  either  cause  or  prevent  all 
forms  of  worry  and  anxiety,  and  even  hypochondria.  Mental 
composure  increases  the  efficiency  and  rate  of  the  transmission 
of  nervous  impulses ;  that  is,  we  can  think  faster  and  act  more 
rapidly  when  the  mind  is  dominated  by  faith.  Fear  demoralizes 
the  entire  nervous  mechanism.  Good  temperament  economizes 
the  energy  of  the  nerve  centres,  giving  the  greatest  possible 


274        THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

return  with  the  least  expenditure  of  the  nervous  forces.  The 
psychic  state  has  everything  to  do  with  the  preservation  of  nerv- 
ous equilibrium.  The  mind  can  prevent  various  nervous 
diseases,  ranging  from  hysteria  to  convulsions,  as  well  as  be 
a  direct  aid  in  preventing  nervous  loss  of  muscular  function, 
and  overcoming  actual  paralysis. 

Mental  control  can  do  much  to  lessen  pain  and  to  prevent  or 
mitigate  other  abnormal  sensations  arising  in  the  body.  There 
is  a  tremendous  psychic  element  concerned  in  the  enjoyment  of 
all  the  special  senses,  such  as  taste,  smell,  and  hearing.  The 
mental  state  of  faith  renders  more  acute  and  accurate  both 
hearing  and  sight.  Good  cheer  and  confidence  are  highly  in- 
fluential in  promoting  fluency  of  speech;  in  fact,  they  render  all 
the  physical  feelings  more  natural  and  reliable,  while  the  coun- 
tenance and  expression  are  almost  wholly  dependent  on  the 
psychic  state. 

SUMMARY   OF   THE   CHAPTER 

^  I.  It  is  in  the  realm  of  prophylaxis  that  psychic  healing  power 
figures  most  conspicuously.  Psycho-prophylaxis  represents  the 
greatest  field  for  the  employment  of  mental  medicine. 

2.  Fatigue  of  the  nerve  centres  is  largely  due  to  toxic  poisons 
and  chronic  worry.  Psychic  influences  can  invigorate  and 
arouse  the  nerve  centres  much  the  same  as  chemical  and  physical 
agents. 

3.  Courage  and  confidence  sustain  the  heart,  improve  the  cir- 
culation, and  prevent  numerous  minor  disturbances  in  the  cardio- 
vascular system.  A  tranquil  state  of  mind  encourages  general 
blood-movement  and  prevents  local  congestions. 

4.  Well-balanced  mental  control  prevents  high  blood-pressure 
and  nervous  high-tension.  Worry  unfailingly  elevates  the 
arterial  pressure. 

5.  The  ability  to  resist  numerous  diseases  is  in  exact  ratio  to 
mental  courage  and  moral  confidence.  Cheerfulness  combats 
anaemia  and  increases  the  vital  resistance.  Faith  hastens  heal- 
ing and  tissue-repair. 

6.  Faith  tends  to  prevent  dyspepsia.  Good  cheer  improves 
the  quality  of  the  digestive  secretions.  Courage  prevents  slow 
digestion  and  inactivity  of  the  bowels.  A  good  state  of  mind 
encourages  the  formation  of  an  abundant  "  appetite  juice." 


PSYCHO-PROPHYLAXIS  27$ 

7.  Psychic  influences  are  very  powerful  in  regulating  .the 
secretion  of  tjie  mammary  gland.  Fear  and  anger  are  able  to 
poison  the  milk.  The  mental  state  is  probably  able  to  influence 
and  modify  the  secretions  of  the  numerous  ductless  glands. 

8.  Worry  can  rapidly  emaciate  its  victims,  while  faith  and 
courage  assist  in  quickly  building  up  the  body.  Faith  promotes 
the  nutrition.  Happy  people  are  usually  healthy.  Faith  fortifies 
the  system  against  decay  and  disease. 

9.  Faith  encourages  deep  breathing,  while  fear  renders  the 
respiration  superficial  and  unnatural.  Cheerfulness  increases 
the  oxygen  intake  The  mind  is  often  able  to  control  nervous 
coughing. 

10.  Mental  courage  augments  muscular  strength.  Faith  pre- 
vents fatigue,  while  fear  generates  weariness.  Cheerfulness 
prevents  stoop-shoulders  and  spinal  curvature.  A  good  mental 
state  strengthens  the  muscles  and  assists  in  keeping  the  internal 
organs  in  proper  place. 

11.  The  state  of  the  mind  contributes  to  the  regulation  and 
elimination  of  animal  heat.  Fever  is  made  worse  by  fear.  Faith 
is  even  of  some  value  in  preventing  common  colds. 

12.  Faith  favors  mental  endurance.  Good  cheer  appears  to 
increase  brain  energy.  Mental  composure  increases  the  rate  of 
thinking  and  acting.  Good  temperament  economizes  the  ex- 
penditure of  nervous  energy.  Mental  control  can  lessen  pain, 
accentuate  the  special  senses,  facilitate  the  speech,  and  deter- 
mine the  countenance  and  facial  expression. 


CHAPTER   XXVI 

THE   PSYCHIC   ELEMENT   IN   HEREDITY   AND 
ENVIRONMENT 

The  psychology  of  child-culture. —  Mental  influences  in 

relation  to  heredity. suggestion  in  the  early  social 

LIFE. —  The  mind  as  concerned  in  character-development. 

—  The  PSYCHIC  factor  in  intemperance  and  drug  habits. 

—  Psychology    of    the    family     life. —  Temperamental 

SHORTCOMINGS. DISSATISFACTION    VeVSUS   DISCONTENT. ThE 

PSYCHOLOGY   OF   THE    CROWD. —  SUMMARY  OF  THE   CHAPTER. 

IN  recent  years  we  are  coming  more  and  more  to  recognize 
that  psychic  influences  are  largely  concerned  in  all  the  social 
problems  of  heredity  and  the  economic  questions  of  environ- 
ment. Psychology  will  receive  more  and  more  consideration  in 
the  future  study  of  the  life  problems  of  both  the  individual  and 
the  nation. 

THE  PSYCHOLOGY  OF   CHILD-CULTURE 

Every  successful  method  of  child-training  must  take  into 
cognizance  the  powerful  influence  of  mind  over  matter.  We 
must  recognize  the  vast  power  of  suggestion  when  properly 
made  by  parents  and  teachers,  in  the  work  of  character-culture 
and  intellectual  development. 

One  of  the  greatest  of  modern  crimes  is  the  common  practice 
of  early  teaching  the  child  to  fear.  Unfortunately,  and  with 
most  disastrous  consequences,  the  child  is  taught  to  fear  the 
dark,  to  fear  strange  noices,  to  fear  its  parents,  to  live  in  con- 
stant dread  of  being  caught  by  hobgoblins  or  the  bogy-man; 
and  the  little  ones  are  even  taught  an  unnatural  and  unhealthy 
fear  of  devils  and  demons,  as  well  as  to  live  in  constant  dread 
and  unwholesome  fear  of  the  Supreme  Being  —  the  Heavenly 
Father.     The  result  of  this  early  life  of  fear  is  to  distort  the 

276 


PSYCHIC  ELEMENT  IN  HEREDITY  277 

emotions  and  deform  the  conceptions;  in  fact,  thoroughly  to 
demoralize  the  psychic  life  of  the  growing  child.  This  sort  of 
training  is  bound  to  react  most  disastrously  in  depressing  the 
physical  functions  of  the  body,  dwarfing  the  growth,  and  de- 
forming the  psychic  powers. 

Children  can  be  quickly  and  easily  trained  to  exercise  faith 
instead  of  fear.  When  between  two  and  three  years  of  age, 
one  of  the  author's  children  began  to  manifest  great  fear  of  the 
dark.  Within  a  few  weeks  this  fear  was  entirely  removed  by 
merely  saying  to  the  child  on  entering  a  dark  room,  "  The  dark 
is  nice;  we  are  not  afraid  of  the  dark,  are  we?"  The  child 
listened  in  silence  to  these  statements  for  a  few  days  and  then 
began  to  join  in  the  declaration  with  more  and  more  courage 
and  confidence,  until  within  a  few  weeks,  it  became  habitual 
with  him  to  say  on  entering  a  dark  room,  "  Nice  dark,  we're  not 
afraid  of  the  dark,  are  we?  —  No." 

The  same  policy  was  pursued  with  reference  to  strange  noises 
and  various  other  things  commonly  feared  by  children,  until  the 
last  apparent  trace  of  fear  was  banished  from  his  mind.  It  is 
needless  to  add  that  such  training  acted  favorably  on  the  child's 
disposition  and  temperament,  and  that  his  physical  health  was 
everything  to  be  desired.  The  author  is  coming  more  and  more 
to  believe  that  proper  psychic  training  in  the  life  of  the  child 
has  much  to  do  with  its  subsequent  growth  and  development 
along  mental,  moral,  and  physical  lines. 

The  time  to  prevent  fear  and  to  instil  the  courageous  in- 
stincts into  the  character  of  a  child  is  while  he  is  in  the  cradle. 
If  the  coming  generation  is  to  be  delivered  from  fear,  the 
emancipation  will  have  to  be  inaugurated  during  prenatal  times 
and  persistently  carried  on  from  birth  up  through  infancy  and 
childhood  to  adolescence.  Those  who  are  thus  favorably  born 
and  bred  will  not,  unless  the  intellectual  powers  are  under- 
mined by  physical  disease,  become  victims  of  fear,  grief,  and 
melancholia,  later  in  life. 

MENTAL  INFLUENCES  IN   RELATION  TO   HEREDITY 

The  question  has  recently  been  raised  just  how  far  the  mind 
of  the  mother  could  influence  the  growth  and  development  of 
the  mind  and  nervous  system  of  the  child  in  utero.    While  there 


278        THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

exists  direct  physical  connection  between  the  mother  and  the 
child,  through  which  the  blood  is  able  freely  to  circulate,  there 
exists  no  direct  connection  between  the  nervous  systems  of  the 
two.  The  reader  is  referred  to  the  discussions  in  Chapter  I, 
where  attention  is  called  to  the  power  of  the  mind  and  the 
nervous  system  to  influence  the  secretions  of  the  body,  and,  m 
all  probability,  to  modify  even  the  formation  of  the  internal 
secretions  of  the  ductless  glands. 

If  the  glandular  secretions  of  the  body  are  subject  even  to  the 
slightest  control  by  the  psychic  state,  it  would  seem  highly 
probable  that  the  mother's  state  of  mind  would,  in  this  indirect 
way,  be  able  enormously  to  influence  the  nervous  system  of  the 
embryonic  child  by  her  power  to  regulate  the  elaboration  of 
these  wonderful  secretions  of  her  own  body,  which  would  be 
immediately  carried  to  that  of  the  child,  where  these  internal 
secretions  would  undoubtedly  exert  their  wonderful  power  to 
influence  the  body  of  the  unborn  child. 

Whether  viewed  from  the  standpoint  of  heredity  as  based 
on  the  original  parental  cells  concerned  in  reproduction,  or  on 
the  subsequent  nourishment  of  the  embryo  by  the  mother's 
nutrient  fluids,  it  is  coming  to  be  regarded  as  more  and  more 
likely  that  the  psychic  state  of  the  parents,  more  particularly 
that  of  the  mother,  is  able  to  exert  a  direct  influence  toward 
controlling  and  modifying  heredity  —  toward  the  formation  and 
development  of  both  the  brain  and  the  body  of  the  child.  As 
these  likely  facts  are  demonstrated  more  and  more  to  be  true, 
it  will  certainly  emphasize  the  duty  of  all  mothers  to  put  forth 
extraordinary  efforts  to  maintain  a  cheerful  and  happy  mental 
state  during  the  period  of  maternity. 

That  the  psychic  state  of  the  mother  is  able  actually  to  influ- 
ence the  physical  development,  has  long  been  believed.  It  is 
popularly  believed  that  a  severe  fright,  sudden  surprise,  or 
some  extraordinary  shock,  may  result  in  producing  a  birthmark 
upon  the  child.  If  mental  impressions  on  the  part  of  the  mother 
are  thus  able  to  interfere  with  the  physical  development  of  the 
child  in  utero,  it  seems  not  altogether  unlikely  that  these  same 
psychic  changes  in  the  mother  could  also  influence  the  growth 
and  development  of  the  child's  nervous  system,  and  thereby,  in 
the  end,  influence  the  child's  mentality  and  character. 


PSYCHIC  ELEMENT  IN  HEREDITY  27Q 

Even  those  who  believe  in  birthmarks  admit  that  the  most 
shocking  experiences  on  the  part  of  the  mother,  which  would 
be  supposed  to  result  in  the  deformity  of  the  child,  do  not  pro- 
duce disfigurement  when  the  mother  makes  a  definite  and  suc- 
cessful effort  to  overcome  the  shock  —  when  she  persistently 
believes  that  it  will  not  result  in  marking  her  offspring.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  vast  majority  of  supposed  birthmarks  following 
fear  and  fright  seem  to  occur  after  the  mother  has,  for  months, 
been  possessed  by  the  fear  that  her  child  would  be  marked,  con- 
fidently expecting  it  to  be  disfigured  at  birth  as  the  result  of 
her  unfortunate  and  shocking  experience. 

Certainly,  every  child  has  the  right  to  be  well  born,  mentally, 
morally,  and  physically;  and  that  it  should  receive  this  splendid 
legacy  it  is  absolutely  necessary  that  the  mother  should  maintain 
a  healthy  mental  state,  and  carefully  look  after  the  nourishment 
and  health  of  her  own  body. 

SUGGESTION  IN  THE  EARLY  SOCIAL  LIFE 

The  early  social  life  of  a  child  —  the  time  of  its  early  play 
and  romping  —  constitutes  the  golden  opportunity  for  parents 
and  teachers,  by  proper  suggestion,  to  bend  the  twig  in  the  way 
of  desirable  growth.  The  most  successful  training  of  a  child  is 
by  suggestion  and  not  by  offers  of  reward  or  threats  of  punish- 
ment. From  the  earliest  dawn  of  mind,  the  human  baby  is 
recognized  to  be  the  most  imitative  animal  on  earth.  Its  earliest 
endeavors  are  to  imitate  every  action,  word,  and  expression 
which  it  observes  on  the  part  of  its  elders,  especially  its  parents. 

This  is  the  formative  period  in  character  development,  and 
the  positive  suggestions,  the  good  suggestions,  the  cheerful, 
hopeful,  and  happy  suggestions,  given  at  this  period,  will  exert 
a  great  influence  on  the  child's  character  throughout  life.  On 
the  other  hand,  if  fear  and  depression,  unhappiness  and  dis- 
content, are  allowed  to  spring  up  in  the  child's  mind  during  these 
earlier  years,  they  are  quite  likely  to  cripple  and  dwarf  its 
entire  life-career. 

Much  as  we  would  like  further  to  discuss  the  psychology  of 
child-training,  space  will  not  permit;  suffice  it  to  say,  that  if  the 
child  is  trained  up  in  the  way  it  should  go,  when  it  is  young,  it 
will  hardly  depart  from  it  when  it  is  old ;  in  fact,  it  cannot  depart 


28o        THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

from  it ;  for  habit  is  master  of  us  all,  and  habits  are  formed  by 
the  constant  repetition  of  acts,  and  acts  are  psychic  in  origin. 
The  habits  of  the  child  are  primarily  and  entirely  due  to  sugges- 
tion—  to  its  teaching  by  precept  and  by  example. 

THE  MIND  AS  CONCERNED  IN  CHARACTER-DEVELOPMENT 

Character  is  simply  the  finished  product,  the  final  harvest, 
which  reflects  and  portrays  our  psychic  life  —  our  mental  habits. 
"  As  a  man  thinketh,  so  is  he."  We  can  never  become  anything 
except  what  we  desire  and  expect  to  become;  and  it  is  equally 
true,  that  we  actually  do  become  what  we  expect  and  desire  to 
be.  Character  is  not  mightily  influenced  by  wishing,  but  it  is 
wholly  and  absolutely  controlled  by  willing.  If  the  patient  com- 
plains that  he  has  not  the  moral  strength  to  direct  his  will,  then 
we  advise  that  he  place  himself  in  some  situation  that  forces  ex- 
ertion and  compels  action.  If  he  has  no  definite  occupation,  find 
one.  Bind  him  by  definite  plans  and  promises  to  engage  in 
some  effort  or  work  where  the  demands  of  honor  will  force  the 
will  to  assert  itself.  The  physical  character  is  determined  not 
only  by  the  hereditary  start,  but  also  by  the  suggestive  environ- 
ment from  earliest  infancy  to  old  age. 

While  certain  dominant  strains  of  the  character  are  acquired 
by  heredity,  environment  exerts  by  far  the  greatest  influence 
upon  its  evolution.  Environment  is  able  even  to  modify  and 
practically  change  numerous  hereditary  traits.  To  a  certain 
extent,  the  laws  of  heredity  are  inexorable,  and  it  will  remain 
forever  true  that  "  the  fathers  have  eaten  sour  grapes,  and  the 
children's  teeth  are  set  on  edge";  nevertheless,  there  is  an- 
other Scripture  which  is  equally  true,  and  which  portrays  the 
operation  of  the  laws  of  environment  and  personal  obedience, 
Which  declares  that  when  men's  thoughts  and  hearts  are  changed 
it  shall  no  longer  be  said  of  them,  "  The  fathers  have  eaten  a 
sour  grape,  and  the  children's  teeth  are  set  on  edge " ;  but, 
"  every  man  that  eateth  the  sour  grape,  his  teeth  shall  be  set 
on  edge." 

The  upbuilding  of  a  strong  character  or  the  rebuilding  of  the 
misformed  character,  is  largely  a  matter  of  controlling  the  en- 
vironment, mastering  the  realm  of  thought  and  placing  it  under 
proper  psychic  influences.     The  overthrow  of   fear  and  the 


PSYCHIC  ELEMENT  IN  HEREDITY  281 

crowning  of  faith  upon  the  psychic  throne  of  one's  inner  life 
will  result  in  such  a  transformation  of  thought  as  eventually  to 
change  one's  whole  habit,  life,  and  character.  Fear  and  doubts 
represent  that  stagnation  of  the  soul  which  eventually  ends  in 
more  or  less  complete  mental  and  moral  paralysis. 

If  such  marvellous  transformations  of  character  are  possible 
by  the  exercise  of  purely  psychic  'influences,  what  limitations 
can  be  placed  upon  the  possibilities  of  character-transformation 
when  the  mental  forces,  in  addition  to  their  own  marvellous 
influence  upon  the  body,  are  reinforced  and  directed  by  the 
limitless  resources  of  the  spiritual  powers  and  the  moral  agen- 
cies resident  within  the  soul?  Who  dares  to  doubt  the  truth 
and  possibility  of  the  so-called  new-birth  of  theology?  When 
the  human  mind  is  focussed,  concentrated,  and  strongly  directed 
by  a  positive  will,  and  this  is  all  backed  up  and  reinforced  by 
the  infinite  power  of  the  indwelling  spiritual  forces  and  the 
mighty  will  of  the  Divine  Mind,  who  can  limit  the  power  and 
possibilities  vested  in  the  intellectual  and  moral  forces  of  the 
human  mind?  And  so  we  see  that  faith  tends  to  lift  up  and 
deliver  one  from  hereditary  taints  and  depressing  bondage, 
while  fear  casts  down  and  condemns  one  to  repeated  defeat  and 
life-long  hereditary  bondage. 

THE   PSYCHIC  FACTOR  IN    INTEMPERANCE   AND  DRUG   HABITS 

Fear  thought  is  most  dangerous  because  it  not  infrequently 
comes  to  be  disguised  in  the  role  of  forethought.  Worry  fre- 
quently robs  us  of  our  happiness,  while  it  masquerades  in  the 
name  of  discretion,  carefulness,  and  conservatism.  The  com- 
mon practice  of  repressing  fear,  doubt,  suspicion,  and  worry 
will  never  lead  to  their  overthrow.  These  passions  and  emotions 
will  accumulate  until  the  nervous  tension  is  greatly  increased 
and  the  blood-pressure  is  enormously  raised.  All  this  is  predis- 
posing to  violent  outbursts  of  anger  and  the  use  of  pressure- 
lowering  drugs,  such  as  alcohol  and  morphine.  The  proper 
method  of  removing  these  mental  states  is  to  surrender  the  mind 
to  their  opposite ;  to  displace  fear  by  faith ;  to  dispel  doubts  by 
trust;  to  replace  worry  with  confidence,  cheerfulness,  and 
happiness. 

Much  of  our  intemperance  is  due  to  high  blood-pressure  and 


282       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

fear.  Worry,  as  has  been  previously  shown,  raises  the  blood- 
pressure.  (See  Chap.  XIII.)  Alcohol  and  morphine  imme- 
diately lower  the  blood-pressure.  And  this  explains  why  family 
troubles  and  business  worries  apparently  drive  so  many  men  to 
drink.  They  take  the  alcohol  not  only  to  secure  mental  peace, 
but  also  to  lower  the  blood-pressure  and  relieve  its  accompany- 
ing nervous  tension.  Faith  is  an  aid  to  temperance,  while  fear 
directly  and  indirectly  predisposes  to  intemperance  and  tends 
always  further  to  enslave  and  to  confirm  its  helpless  victims. 

The  mind  is  more  powerful  in  overcoming  drug  habits  than 
any  other  single  agency.  It  is  the  inability  to  endure  pain,  or 
the  unwillingness  to  withstand  trouble  and  adversity,  that 
usually  leads  to  the  use  of  drink  and  drugs.  The  psychic 
powers  are  able  to  sustain  a  person  both  in  times  of  affliction 
and  adversity,  and  in  this  way  the  mind  is  able  largely  to  pre- 
vent the  use  of  these  habit-forming  drugs. 

Psychic  determination,  moral  faith,  and  spiritual  energy  are 
all  necessary  to  effect  permanent  deliverance  from  these  drug 
habits.  The  one  grand  essential  in  the  treatment  of  alcoholism 
is  that  the  victim  shall  make  up  his  mind  to  quit.  While  we 
have  seen  a  few  men  who  were  successful  in  overcoming  the 
drink  habit  by  sheer  mental  power,  by  far  the  majority  are  un- 
successful, unless  their  mental  resolution  is  backed  up  by,  and 
reinforced  with,  moral  resolve  and  spiritual  strength. 

PSYCHOLOGY  OF  THE  FAMILY  LIFE 

It  is  in  the  family  life  that  psychic  influences  are  unusually 
powerful  for  good  or  for  evil.  The  happy  family  life  under 
existing  modern  conditions  of  high  tension  is  quite  impossible, 
unless  the  psychic  states  of  parents  and  children  are  dominated 
by  faith  and  trust.  Many  a  family  has  been  wrecked,  and 
thousands  to-day  exist  in  misery  and  unhappiness,  because  the 
mind  of  husband  or  wife  succumbs  to  fear,  surrenders  to  jeal- 
ousy, or  becomes  permeated  with  distrust. 

Many  divorces  have  no  other  ground  than  suspicion  and  dis- 
trust. A  little  auto-suggestion,  or  a  little  of  the  charity  of  the 
Christian  religion  would  bring  thousands  of  estranged  husbands 
and  wives  together  and  literally  fill  their  souls  with  joy  and 
rejoicing.     Fear  is  the  destroyer  of  family  happiness  as  well 


PSYCHIC  ELEMENT  IN  HEREDITY  283 

as  individual  peace  of  mind.  No  family  can  long  stand  where 
fear  thought  dominates  one  or  more  of  its  members.  Faith 
promotes  undisturbed  happiness,  while  fear  sooner  or  later 
generates  family  distrust  and  jealousy. 

The  business  man  who  is  diffident  and  fearful  is  quite  cer- 
tainly doomed  to  meet  with  ultimate  failure.  Courage  and 
confidence  are  essential  even  to  business  success.  The  indus- 
trial world  of  to-day  with  its  vast  and  intricate  financial 
machinery  is  all  built  upon  confidence.  Look  what  happens  to 
the  industrial  world  in  times  of  panic!  And  what  is  panic? 
Merely  a  disturbance  in  general  business  confidence  and  com- 
mercial faith.  The  psychology  of  panics  would  be  an  interesting 
study  if  space  would  permit.  When  men,  or  a  group  of  men, 
have  deliberately  and  wilfully  inaugurated  a  panic,  they  have 
done  it  by  frightening  the  public,  producing  raids  upon  banks, 
and  scaring  people  into  simultaneously  unloading  their 
securities.  Fear  is  the  father  of  panic  —  mental,  moral, 
psychic,  physical,  and  commercial. 

TEMPERAMENTAL   SHORTCOMINGS 

A  great  many  good  people  are  constantly  worrying  over  their 
faults,  their  temperamental  shortcomings.  It  would  take  only 
about  fifteen  minutes  of  real  mental  determination  or  moral 
resolve  to  bring  most  of  these  trifling  matters  to  an  end.  Some 
persons  are  continuously  defeated  by  their  shortcomings  be- 
cause they  live  in  constant  fear  of  their  faults.  They  exist  in 
perpetual   dread  of  making  these  very  mistakes. 

Faith  actually  aids  in  making  you  what  you  ought  to  be  and 
what  you  want  to  be.  Fear  confirms  your  weaknesses  of  char- 
acter —  increasingly  enslaving  you  to  your  petty  temperamental 
shortcomings. 

Some  may  resent  such  methods  of  cure  as  belonging  to  the 
realm  of  the  imagination,  but  that  would  be  a  great  mistake. 
The  psychic  nature  of  your  cure  in  no  sense  robs  it  of  any  dig- 
nity. Just  because  you  are  cured  by  the  imagination,  it  does  not 
follow  that  your  cure  was  an  imaginary  one. 

When  you  desire  to  abandon  some  habitual  practice,  to  abol- 
ish some  temperamental  fault,  or  to  overthrow  some  idol  of 
character,  make  up  your  mind  to  do  it:  abandon  the  intellect 


284       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

to  faith;  throw  open  every  psychic  channel  to  courage  and 
confidence;  in  fact,  begin  to  rejoice  in  the  victory  you  are  about 
to  gain,  just  as  though  you  had  already  gained  it.  Banish 
doubt,  refuse  to  entertain  the  least  suggestion  of  the  possibility 
of  failure.  But  is  this  not  the  very  essence,  the  very  secret, 
of  success  as  outlined  in  the  militant  Christian  religion?  Does 
not  the  Apostle  Paul  himself  define  faith  as  "  The  substance  of 
things  hoped  for,  the  evidence  of  things  not  seen  "  ?  And  so 
it  would  appear  that  the  findings  and  teachings  of  modern 
psychology  are  close  akin  to  the  philosophy  and  time-honored 
teachings  of  the  Christian  religion. 

The  psychology  of  faith  and  fear  contains  nothing  new;  the 
physiology  of  faith  and  fear  is  as  old  as  the  hills.  The  dis- 
cussion of  them  at  this  time  is  merely  to  emphasize  the 
necessity  of  our  thorough  cooperation  with  the  moral  energies 
and  the  spiritual  forces  ever  at  our  command,  which  render  it 
possible  for  us  to  effect  well-nigh  any  desirable  transformation 
of  character  and  achieve  the  victory  over  every  removable 
besetting  sin. 

In  every  effort  looking  toward  the  conquest  of  self,  it  must 
be  borne  in  mind  that  thought  produces  action,  action  produces 
habit,  and  habits  form  character.  When  we  take  a  certain 
thought  into  our  minds  without  reserve,  when  it  is  literally 
fused  on  to  the  intellect  by  the  white  heat  of  emotion,  it  be- 
comes a  part  of  our  psychic  character,  shortly  to  work  its  way 
out  into  the  habit  life;  soon  it  is  crystallized  and  becomes  a 
part  of  our  moral  character,  a  part  of  our  psychic  life. 

On  the  other  hand,  we  all  possess  certain  temperamental 
peculiarities  which  we  shall  probably  carry  to  our  graves.  Per- 
haps they  are  what  the  Apostle  Paul  defined  as  "  thorns  in  the 
flesh,"  concerning  which  he  prayed  three  times  for  deliverance, 
but  was  compelled  to  rest  content  with  merely  the  grace  to 
bear  his  infirmity.  Perhaps  if  we  banished  all  our  little  short- 
comings and  overcame  the  little  peculiarities  which  so  annoy 
our  friends  and  associates,  we  might  unwittingly  emasculate 
our  characters  and  greatly  cripple  our  usefulness. 

All  great  men  have  had  their  little  peculiarities  and  infirm- 
ities.    Socrates  had  fits;  Tolstoi  nearly  killed  himself  trying  to 


PSYCHIC  ELEMENT  IN  HEREDITY  285 

fly  when  a  boy;  Balzac  had  a  walking  mania;  Schopenhauer 
was  so  afraid  of  a  razor  that  he  singed  his  beard;  Schiller 
used  to  put  his  feet  on  ice  and  gaze  upon  rotten  apples  to  get 
an  inspiration.  There  are  those  who  have  affirmed  that  both 
Milton  and  Richard  Wagner  were  crazy.  Mohammed  had 
convulsions;  Annie  Lee,  spasms;  Mozart  believed  that  certain 
people  were  trying  to  poison  him;  and  even  Abraham  Lincoln 
was  subject  to  fits  of  melancholia;  while  Samuel  Johnson  could 
not  pass  a  post  without  touching  it.  We  should  not  despair 
of  succeeding  in  life  because  we  have  some  little  temperamental 
shortcoming,  even  though  it  be  so  severe  as  to  become  an  ob- 
session. Experience  proves  that  the  vast  majority  of  these 
psychic  infirmities  are  due  to  some  form  of  fear,  and  that  they 
are  in  large  measure  removable  by  the  exercise  of  strong  faith. 

DISSATISFACTION   VerSUS  DISCONTENT 

Dissatisfaction  is  divine;  discontent  is  diabolical.  All  the 
world's  progress  is  due  to  dissatisfaction  with  existing  condi- 
tions, and  the  putting  forth  of  courageous  efforts  to  improve 
the  same.  All  the  sorrow  of  the  world  is  born  of  discontent 
with  our  present  circumstances  and  surroundings  after  ^we  have 
done  our  best  to  improve  them.  Again,  we  find  the  Apostle 
Paul  a  good  psychologist,  for  it  was  he  who  wrote,  after  he 
had  done  what  he  could  to  improve  conditions  in  the  world: 
*'  I  have  learned  in  whatsoever  state  I  am  therewith  to  be 
content."  Happiness  has  its  origin  and  existence  only  in  the 
mind.  The  psychic  conception  of  joy  and  happiness  is  quite  in- 
dependent of  the  conditions  which  characterize  our  environment. 

Psychic  contentment  and  moral  peace  are  not  incompatible 
with  the  highest  possible  degree  of  social  dissatisfaction  and 
economic  discontent.  It  is  the  condition  of  one's  mind  that 
determines  the  possibilities  of  personal  contentment  —  an  expe- 
rience which  may  be  enjoyed  in  the  face  of  extraordinary  phys- 
ical difficulties,  industrial  strain,  social  revolution,  and  any 
amount  of  economic  upheaval.  The  imagination  is  the  real  cli- 
mate of  the  soul.  It  is  possible  to  live  in  a  world  of  supreme  un- 
rest and  yet  keep  the  mind  in  perfect  peace,  even  that  supreme 
peacefulness ;  for  is  it  not  written,  "  Thou  wilt  keep  him  in  per- 
fect peace  whose  mind  is  stayed  on  Thee  "  ?    While  it  is  true 


286       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

that  we  all  have  our  unpleasant  moods,  nevertheless,  the  real 
trouble  does  not  begin  until  our  varying  moods  come  to  have 
us  —  come  to  possess  and  control  our  mental  life. 

THE  PSYCHOLOGY  OF  THE  CROWD 

It  must  be  true  that  the  psychology  of  the  individual  is  the 
psychology  of  the  crowd,  only  it  would  seem  that  numbers  mul- 
tiply the  intensity  and  power  of  suggestions.  The  psychology 
of  faith  as  applied  to  the  crowd  gives  birth  to  the  courageous 
abandon  and  victorious  confidence  of  the  army  as  it  sweeps  on 
to  conquest,  unmindful  of  difficulties  and  blind  to  obstacles. 
On  the  other  hand,  fear  as  applied  to  the  nation  spreads  with  the 
rapidity  of  a  contagious  disease,  alarm  is  communicated  with 
increasing  intensity  from  man  to  man  until  the  disquietude  be- 
comes universal,  and  a  whole  nation  of  sane  and  intelligent 
people  are  quickly  plunged  into  unreasoning  panic  and  economic 
upheaval. 

It  is  because  of  the  disastrous  results  of  fear  thought,  not 
only  on  the  individual  but  on  the  nation,  that  it  becomes  the  duty 
of  every  sane  man  and  woman  to  establish  quarantine  against 
fear.  Fear  is  a  psychic  disease  which  is  highly  contagious  and 
extraordinarily  infectious.  And  we  speak  advisedly  when  we 
say  that  fear  is  one  of  the  chief  factors  in  the  contraction  of 
physical  contagious  diseases.  The  only  antitoxin  we  know  of 
for  this  highly  contagious  and  exceedingly  dangerous  psychic 
disease,  is  faith  thought.     Faith  is  the  antitoxin  for  fear. 

Practise  the  overthrow  of  fear  in  its  infancy,  nip  worry  in 
the  bud.  For  it  must  be  remembered  that  fear  thought  can  be- 
come a  habit,  and  then  it  may  attach  itself  to  any  department  of 
thought  or  practice  of  life,  and  thus  permeate  the  character  with 
its  destructive  influence.  We  may  become  chronically  afraid  of 
sleeplessness,  or  live  in  everlasting  dread  of  pain.  Others  fear 
they  may  fall  victims  to  consumption  or  to  constipation.  We 
become  fearful  that  we  shall  have  cancer,  paralysis,  or  a  score  of 
other  diseases,  and,  in  this  way,  the  entire  life  is  lived  in  the 
terrible  bondage  of  fear. 

SUMMARY  OF  THE  CHAPTER 

I.  One  of  the  greatest  of  modern  crimes  is  the  common  prac- 
tice of  teaching  the  child  to  fear.     Proper  psychic  training  of 


PSYCHIC  ELEMENT  IN  HEREDITY  287 

the  child  has  much  to  do  with  its  subseqwent  growth  and  devel- 
opment along  mental,  moral,  and  physical  lines. 

2.  The  emancipation  of  the  race  from  fear  will  have  to  be 
inaugurated  during  prenatal  times,  and  persistently  carried  on 
from  birth  up  through  infancy  and  childhood  to  adolescence. 

3.  The  mother's  psychic  state  is  probably  able,  through  the 
power  of  the  mind  over  glandular  secretions,  indirectly  to  influ- 
ence the  formation  and  development  of  both  the  mind  (brain 
and  nerves)  and  the  body  of  the  child. 

4.  Birthmarks  do  not  usually  follow  sudden  shocks  when  the 
mother  makes  a  definite  and  successful  effort  to  overcome  her 
fear.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  well-known  that  in  most  cases 
where  birthmarks  do  appear,  the  mother  was  possessed  by  the 
fear  that  her  child  would  be  born  disfigured. 

5.  The  most  successful  training  of  a  child  is  by  suggestion 
and  not  by  offers  of  reward  or  threats  of  punishment.  The 
human  baby  is  the  most  imitative  creature  on  earth. 

6.  Fill  the  child's  mind  with  good  suggestions  during  the 
formative  period  of  character  development.  As  a  general  prop- 
osition, the  way  in  which  the  child  is  trained  when  it  is  young, 
it  cannot  depart  from  when  it  is  old. 

7.  "As  a  man  thinketh,  so  is  he.'*  We  seldom  become  any- 
thing except  what  we  desire  to  become;  and  it  is  equally  true, 
that  we  usually  do  become  all  that  we  confidently  expect  to  be. 

8.  To  a  certain  extent  the  laws  of  heredity  are  inexorable; 
nevertheless,  the  laws  of  environment  and  personal  obedience  are 
able,  by  psychic  power,  greatly  to  modify  hereditary  influences 
and  even  effectually  to  transform  the  entire  character. 

9.  If  psychic  agencies  alone  can  so  wonderfully  change 
thought  and  character,  what  limitations  can  be  placed  upon  the 
possibilities  of  character-transformation,  when  the  mental  forces 
are  effectually  backed  up  by  moral  energy  and  spiritual  power? 

10.  Fear  thought  is  most  dangerous  when  it  parades  as  fore- 
thought. Combat  fear  by  replacing  it  with  faith.  Resist  worry 
with  confidence. 

11.  Violent  outburts  of  anger,  fear,  and  worry  operate  to 
raise  the  blood-pressure,  and  thereby  predispose  their  victims 
to  the  use  of  alcohol,  morphine,  and  other  drugs  which  possess 


288       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

the  power  of  lowering  the  blood-pressure  and  lessening  nervous 
tension.     Faith  is  an  indirect  aid  to  temperance. 

12.  Many  families  are  wrecked  by  fear,  jealousy,  and  dis- 
trust. Divorces  are  born  of  distrust  and  suspicion.  The  family 
life  cannot  long  survive  fear  thought.  Fear  is  the  father  of 
panics  —  mental,  physical,  and  financial. 

13.  Faith  actually  aids  in  making  you  what  you  ought  to  be 
and  what  you  want  to  be.  Fear  confirms  your  character  weak- 
nesses and  enslaves  you  to  your  temperamental  shortcomings. 
The  psychology  of  faith  and  fear  is  highly  akin  to  the  phil- 
osophy of  the  Christian  religion. 

14.  Psychic  contentment  and  moral  peace  are  not  incompatible 
with  the  highest  possible  degree  of  social  dissatisfaction  and 
economic  upheaval.  It  is  possible  to  live  in  a  world  of  supreme 
unrest  and  yet  keep  the  mind  in  perfect  peace.  Dissatisfaction 
is  divine,  but  discontent  is  diabolical. 

15.  Numbers  multiply  the  intensity  and  power  of  suggestions. 
Fear  is  a  highly  contagious  psychic  disease  —  we  should  estab- 
lish quarantine  against  it.  The  only  known  antitoxin  for  fear 
thought  is  faith  thought 


CHAPTER  XXVII 
THE  PSYCHOLOGY  OF  DISEASE 

FUI^CTIONAL  AND  ORGANIC  DISEASE. —  The  SPECIAL  FIELD  OF 
PSYCHIC  influence. —  COMPARATIVE  TABLE  OF  FUNCTIONAL 
AND  ORGANIC  DISEASES. —  AcUTE  AND  CHRONIC  DISEASE. —  ThE 
MISSION  OF  PAIN  AND  THE  LANGUAGE  OF  DISEASE. —  The  EVOLU- 
tion of  psychic  disturbances  into  physical  disorders. — 
Fear  a  psychic  contagion. —  The  fatigue  of  fear. —  The 
casting-out  of  fear. —  summary  of  the  chapter. 

HAVING  considered  the  psychic  element  in  prophylaxis  — 
mental  hygiene  —  and  the  influence  of  the  mental  state  as 
related  to  heredity  and  environment,  it  is  now  in  order  to  con- 
sider the  influence  of  the  mind  with  reference  to  the  causation 
and  treatment  of  disease. 

FUNCTIONAL    AND   ORGANIC   DISEASE 

In  a  general  way,  all  the  diseases  affecting  the  human  race  are 
classified  as  functional  and  organic.  When  the  functional  be- 
havior of  the  cells  of  the  body  is  abnormal  or  in  any  way 
disturbed,  it  may  result  in  deranging  the  action  of  some  vital 
organ  or  in  disturbing  the  circulatory  and  nervous  systems  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  result  in  disease.  Such  diseases  are  termed 
functional,  owing  to  the  fact  that  they  consist  in  a  perversion 
or  disturbance  of  the  body's  functions  —  no  actual  anatomical 
changes  being  found  in  the  cells  and  tissues  of  the  body. 

On  the  other  hand,  organic  disease  represents  a  bodily  state  in 
which  the  cells  and  tissues  of  the  body  are  actually  changed.  In 
most  organic  diseases  these  changes  are  so  definite  that  they 
may  be  identified  under  the  microscope ;  that  is,  in  many  organic 
diseases,  the  actual  changes  in  the  cell  are  so  literal  and  char- 
acteristic as  to  permit  of  a  diagnosis  being  made  when  these 
cells  or  tissues  are  viewed  under  the  microscope.     To  illustrate 


290       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

the  difference  between  functional  and  organic  disease,  it  might 
be  stated  that  acid  dyspepsia  (sour  stomach)  is  a  functional 
disease  of  the  stomach,  while  gastric  ulcer  is  an  organic  disease. 

THE  SPECIAL  FIELD  OF  PSYCHIC  INFLUENCE 

Psychic  influences  are  especially  powerful  for  good  in  the 
prevention  and  treatment  of  functional  diseases.  The  func- 
tional disorders  represent  the.  realm  of  human  suffering  in  which 
psychotherapy  is  of  special  value.  The  mind  is  unquestionably 
able  to  prevent  numerous  functional  disturbances.  Unhealthy 
mental  states  are  likewise  also  able,  sooner  or  later,  to  produce 
a  large  number  of  common  functional  disorders.  The  mental 
powers  are  also  able  directly  or  indirectly,  partially  or  com- 
pletely, to  cure  a  large  percentage  of  these  so-called  functional 
diseases,  provided  other  exciting  and  aggravating  causes  are 
not  present  in  too  great  a  degree. 

On  the  other  hand,  in  the  field  of  organic  disease,  the  influence 
of  the  mind  as  a  preventive  and  curative  agent  is  greatly  cur- 
tailed. It  is  very  seldom  that  mental  influences  are  directly 
responsible  for  organic  disorders.  The  mind  contributes  to 
organic  disease,  by  first  setting  up  functional  disturbances, 
which,  when  long  continued,  may  predispose  to  actual  derange- 
ment of  the  cells  and  organs  of  the  body,  and  thereby,  indirectly, 
contribute  to  the  production  of  actual  organic  disease. 

Only  in  this  indirect  manner,  by  preventing  preceding  func- 
tional disturbances,  can  the  mind  exert  any  great  influence 
toward  the  prevention  of  organic  diseases.  With  respect  to  the 
cure  of  organic  disease,  the  mind  does  not  possess  that  direct 
and  powerful  influence  which  it  is  able  to  exercise  in  the  relief 
of  functional  disorders.  In  the  treatment  of  organic  diseases, 
the  mind  acts  merely  as  a  contributing  factor  because  of  its 
profound  influence  over  the  nervous  and  circulatory  systems. 
It  is  able  either  to  hasten  or  delay  the  recovery  of  organic  dis- 
ease. The  mind  may  either  increase  or  decrease  the  numerous 
functional  symptoms  and  transitory  disturbances  which  accom- 
pany organic  disease,  but  it  is  never  able  instantaneously  and 
apparently  miraculously  to  cure  organic  disease  as  it  is  some- 
times able  to  banish  functional  disorders. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  while  many  diseases  may  be 


THE  PSYCHOLOGY  OF  DISEASE 


291 


purely  functional  when  acute,  they  usually  become  organic 
on  becoming  chronic  or  sub-acute.  In  this  way,  the  mind 
indirectly  becomes  a  factor  in  the  causation  of  chronic  and  or- 
ganic disease.  The  dividing  line  between  functional  and  organic 
disease  is  not  always  easy  to  follow.  It  is  sometimes  exceed- 
ingly difficult  to  say  whether  certain  diseases  are  functional  or 
organic. 

In  order  that  the  reader  may  more  clearly  understand  and 
more  fully  comprehend  the  difference  and  distinction  between 
functional  and  organic  disease,  there  is  herewith  given  a  classi- 
fication of  the  more  common  diseases,  arranged  in  parallel 
columns,  the  functional  disorders  on  the  left  and  the  organic 
diseases  on  the  right. 

Comparative  Table  of  Common  Functional  and  Organic 

Diseases 


functional  diseases 

Heart  Diseases: 
Palpitation. 
Rapid  Heart. 
Intermittent  Pulse 
Angina  Pectoris  (?) 
Fainting  and  Collapse 
Nervous  Heart  Failure 
Irregularity  of  the  Heart. 
Heart  Sensations  and  Pain. 

Circulatory  Disorders: 

Local  Hyperaemia. 

Anaemia  —  Relative. 

Congestion  —  Active. 

Vaso-motor  Instability. 

Angioneurotic  Oedema. 

Capillary  Spasm  —  Pale   Skin. 

Blood-pressure,     High     and 
Low. 
Digestive    and    Secretory    Dis- 
turbances: 

Constipation. 

EnteroDtosis  (?) 


ORGANIC   diseases 

Heart  Diseases: 

Pericarditis. 

Myocarditis. 

Endocarditis. 

Senile  Heart  Failure. 

Cardiac  Hypertrophy. 

Dilatation  of  the  Heart. 

Valvular  Heart  Diseases. 

Fatty     Degeneration     of     the 
Heart. 
Circulatory  Disorders: 

Aneurisms. 

Hemorrhoids. 

Varicose  Veins. 

Arteriosclerosis. 

Anaemia  —  Positive. 

Rupture  of  Blood  Vessels. 

Chronic    Passive    Congestion. 

Digestive    and    Secretory    Dis- 
turbances: 
Hernia. 
Gall  Stones. 


292       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 


FUNCTIONAL  DISEASES 

Urinary  Variations. 
Gastralgia  and  Colic. 
Diarrhoea  and  Colitis. 
Vomiting  and  Nausea. 
Jaundice  —  Biliousness. 
Nervous  or  Acid  Dyspepsia. 
Slow  Digestion  —  Dilatation. 
Acute  Gastritis  —  Flatulence. 
Variations     in     Secretion     of 
Milk. 

Mental  and  Nervous  Disorders: 

Brain-fag. 

Hypochondria. 

Trophic  Disorders. 

Insanity  —  Delirium. 

Paralysis  —  Hysteric. 

Migraine  —  Headache. 

Epilepsy  and  Convulsions. 

Neuralgia  —  Various    Pains. 

Neurasthenia  —  Nervousness. 

St.   Vitus's   Dance  —  Tremors. 

Hysteria  —  Abnormal  Sensa- 
tions. 

Eye-strain,  Hysteric  Blindness. 

Loss  of  Speech,  Illusions,  De- 
lusions,  Hallucinations. 

Nutrition  and  Metabolism: 
Emaciation. 
Maltiutrition. 
Diabetes  (?) 
•Deficient  Elimination. 

Resp iratory  Disorders : 
Shallow  Breathing. 
Asthma  and  Hay-fever. 
Coughing  and  Hiccupping. 
Derangements  of  Breathing. 
Acute  Catarrh  —  Colds. 


ORGANIC    DISEASES 

Peritonitis. 
Appendicitis. 
Gastric  Ulcer. 
Chronic  Gastritis. 
Ulcerative  Colitis. 
Cancer  of  the  Stomach. 
Cirrhosis  of  the  Liver. 
Obstruction  of  Stomach  Outlet 
Permanent      Dilatation       and 
Atony. 

Mental  and  Nervous  Disorders: 
Apoplexy. 
Blindness. 
Brain  Tumors. 
Spinal  Sclerosis. 
Facial  Paralysis. 
Locomotor  Ataxia. 
Infantile  Paralysis. 
Paralysis  —  Actual. 
Neuritis  —  Chronic. 
Insanity  —  Organic. 
Raynaud's    Disease  —  Ulcers. 
Paresis  —  Softening      of     the 

Brain. 
Organic  Diseases  of  the  Eye, 

Ear,  and  Nose. 

Nutrition  and  Metabolism: 
Bright's  Disease. 
Obesity  —  Goitre. 
Arthritis  Deformans. 
Chronic    Rheumatism  —  Gout. 

Respiratory  Disorders: 
Pleurisy. 
Tonsilitis. 
Bronchitis. 
Chronic  Catarrh. 
Thrush  —  Sore  Mouth. 


THE  PSYCHOLOGY  OF  DISEASE 


293 


ORGANIC   DISEASES 

Miscellaneous  Diseases: 
Rickets. 
Cancers. 
Adenoids. 
Gangrene. 
Abscesses. 
Deformities. 
Various  Tumors. 
Spinal  Curvature. 
Warts  and  Moles. 
Various  Bone  Diseases. 
Cataract,  Decayed  Teeth. 
Skin  Diseases  —  Organic. 
Pain  in  Organic  Diseases. 
Stone  in  Bladder  or  Kidney. 


FUNCTIONAL  DISEASES 

Miscellaneous  Diseases: 
Fever. 
Lumbago. 
Functional  Pain. 
Muscular  Spasm. 
Writer's  Cramps. 
Shock  —  Nervous. 
Muscular  Fatigue. 
Chills  —  Shivering. 
Abnormal  Sweating. 
Insomnia  —  Sleeplessness. 
Stammering  and  Stuttering. 
Skin    Diseases  —  Functional. 
Enuresis  —  Wetting  the  Bed. 
Nervous  and  Skin  Sensations. 

In  this  classification  of  diseases  no  mention  is  made  of  the 
acute  infectious  and  contagious  disorders ;  they  will  be  discussed 
in  the  next  chapter. 

ACUTE    AND   CHRONIC   DISEASE 

In  this  connection  it  will  be  well  to  emphasize  the  distinction 
between  acute  and  chronic  disease.  Acute  disease  is  ordinarily 
an  effort  on  the  part  of  nature  to  overcome  infection,  eliminate 
poison,  or  repel  some  other  invasion  of  the  body  by  germs  or 
other  agents  destructive  of  health.  On  the  other  hand,  chronic 
disease  represents  a  condition  present  very  often  after  a  change 
has  taken  place  in  the  structures  of  the  body,  or  after  its  func- 
tions have  been  more  or  less  permanently  deranged.  Chronic 
disease  is  usually  organic.  The  picture  of  chronic  disease  is 
not  that  of  an  active  battle.  It  rather  represents  a  state  of 
compromise  or  partial  surrender  —  a  condition  of  more  or  less 
complete  defeat  sustained  as  the  result  of  the  unsuccessful 
struggles  of  acute  disease  —  repeated  attacks.  Continued 
transgression,  or  the  persistent  operation  of  original  exciting 
causes  has  overcome  the  body's  defences.  The  acute  disorder, 
the  functional  derangement,  has  become  chronic  or  organic. 
'  In  reality,  disease  is  but  an  extraordinary  struggle  for  life  un- 
der conditions  wholly  unfavorable  to  health.     Acute  disease  is 


294       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

simply  nature  fighting  a  brave  battle  for  the  sufferer's  existence. 
The  health-battle  may  be  provoked  by  some  acute  infection  or 
by  the  continued  transgression  of  the  laws  governing  the  phys- 
ical being.  Disease  is  not  an  entity,  but  a  condition;  it  is  not 
a  thing,  but  a  relation.  Health  is  nature  at  work  in  man  under 
conditions  of  obedience  —  natural  conditions;  disease  is  the 
same  force  and  power  at  work  in  man  under  conditions  of  dis- 
obedience —  unnatural  conditions. 

Owing  to  erroneous  ideas  of  the  source  of  affliction  and  the 
nature  of  disease,  many  sincere  souls  have  gone  down  to  the 
grave  in  despondency  and  despair,  because  of  physical  afflictions 
supposed  to  be  due  to  "  the  power  of  the  enemy."  These  mis- 
guided sufferers  question  their  Christian  experience  and  doubt 
the  genuineness  of  a  faith  which  is  unable  to  lift  them  above 
their  physical  infirmities,  which  they  have  been  taught  were 
solely  due  to  the  "  power  of  Satan  over  their  bodies." 

THE   MISSION    OF    PAIN    AND   THE    LANGUAGE   OF  DISEASE 

Pain  is  the  outcry  of  the  physical  conscience  against  all  bodily 
abuse  and  physical  danger  The  language  of  suffering,  when 
interpreted,  tells  of  wrong  habits  and  practices,  unwholesome 
and  unsanitary  surroundings,  and  warns  the  afflicted  one  to 
reform  and  make  speedy  amends,  to  cease  to  do  evil  and  learn 
to  do  well 

Disease  has  been  spoken  of  as  both  a  corrective  and 
curative  process.  This  is  not  true  of  chronic  disease:  it  is 
only  acute  disease  that  is  curative.  While  disease  is  in  its 
earlier  stages,  it  is,  in  general,  an  effort  on  the  part  of  nature 
to  cure;  but  if  the  habits  of  life  are  not  corrected,  and  if  un- 
favorable surroundings  are  not  removed,  then,  in  the  later 
states,  it  becomes  a  process  of  degeneration  and  destruction. 

In  the  acute  stage,  nature  ordinarily  cures  disease  when  the 
cause  is  removed;  in  chronic  disease,  even  after  the  original 
causes  have  been  removed,  health  is  usually  secured  only  by  a 
process  of  persistent  cultivation ;  or  the  disease  may  have  taken 
on  the  form  of  an  incurable  malady. 

Not  only  are  most  functional  diseases  acute  while  the  organic 
disorders  are  usually  chronic,  but  there  exists  a  vast  group  of 
acute  infections  and  contagious  diseases  not  listed  in  the  com- 


THE  PSYCHOLOGY  OF  DISEASE  295 

parative  summary  of  functional  and  organic  diseases  just  cited. 
Being  largely  contagious  and  infectious,  the  mind,  of  course, 
exerts  but  a  minimum  of  influence  in  their  cause  or  cure,  al- 
though mental  influence  may  contribute  much  to  lessening  the 
severity  of  their  numerous  symptoms  and  complications. 

THE  EVOLUTION  OF  PSYCHIC  DISTURBANCES  INTO   PHYSICAL 
DISORDERS 

One  of  the  most  important  facts  in  the  relation  of  the  mind 
to  health  and  disease  has  been  largely  overlooked  in  the  past; 
that  is,  the  power  of  the  mind  to  produce  functional  disturb- 
ances, which,  when  kept  up  from  day  to  day,  are  able  ultimately 
to  produce  such  perversion  of  function  and  irritation  o^ 
structure  as  eventually  to  result  in  the  production  of  chronic 
disorders,  or  to  lay  the  foundation  for  ultimate  organic  disease. 

And  this  is  what  renders  it  so  difficult  —  well-nigh  impossible 
—  to  prepare  a  list  of  diseases  which  may  or  may  not  be  wholly 
psychic  in  origin,  or  which  may  be  amenable  to  psychic  treat- 
ment. The  foregoing  classification  of  common  diseases  is 
intended  to  be  merely  suggestive,  it  cannot  possibly  be  anything 
more.  It  ^s  out  of  the  question,  in  our  present  understanding 
of  the  case,  accurately  to  classify  diseases  in  any  such  a 
manner.  The  author  has  ventured  to  give  these  lists  in  this 
connection  merely  to  suggest  a  working  division  of  common 
diseases  into  those  which  are  largely  amenable  to  psychic  treat- 
ment, and  those  which  are  either  uninfluenced  by  the  mental 
state,  or  else  but  doubtfully. 

FEAR  A  PSYCHIC  CONTAGION 

In  this  connection,  it  may  be  well  to  notice  some  of  the  dan- 
gers connected  with  the  well-meaning  efforts  of  the  physician 
and  the  sanitarian  to  enlighten  the  public;  in  fact,  the  same 
dangers  attend  the  efforts  of  the  medical  practitioner  as  he 
seeks  to  teach  his  patients  the  care  of  the  body.  It  is  this:  if 
the  public  are  to  be  left  in  hygienic  ignorance,  disease  is  bound 
to  spread  and  the  death  rate  be  greatly  increased ;  on  the  other 
hand,  owing  to  the  peculiar  tendency  of  most  people  to  think 
unduly  of  themselves,  and  owing  to  the  powerful  influence  of 
the  mind  to  disturb  the  functions  and  disorder  the  body  when 
allowed  inordinately  to  dwell  on  things  physical,  the  health- 


296       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

teacher  is  confronted  with  this  great  danger:  Hygienic  en- 
lightenment not  infrequently  carries  along  with  it  almost 
certain  danger  of  dyspepsia  and  neurasthenia. 

There  is  no  question  that  the  spread  of  hygienic  information 
and  the  diffusion  of  sanitary  knowledge  has  done  much  to 
lessen  disease,  and  to  increase  the  average  length  of  life;  never- 
theless, there  can  be  but  little  doubt  that  thousands  of  nervous 
and  self-centred  people,  experiencing  but  a  fair  degree  of 
health,  are  actually  made  sick  by  reading  health  books  and 
health  magazines,  especially  that  health  literature  belonging  to 
the  old-fashioned  alarming  and  gloomy  doctor-book  class. 
Auto-suggestion  does  much  to  give  them  the  diseases  about 
which  they  read.  The  almanac  thrown  on  the  porch  has  made 
an  invalid  of  many  an  unfortunate  woman  who  has  read  it. 

The  psychology  of  the  world  plagues  and  epidemics  would 
indeed  be  an  interesting  bit  of  history  if  it  were  fully  known.  • 
There  can  be  no  doubt  that  large  numbers  of  people  die  in 
connection  with  great  epidemics,  whose  disease  and  departure 
must  largely  be  charged  up  to  the  panic  of  fear  prevailing  at 
the  time.  There  is  no  doubt  that  yellow  fever,  smallpox,  and 
diphtheria,  when  they  obtain  an  epidemic  foothold  in  the  com- 
munity, scare  hundreds  and  even  thousands  of  people  so  badly 
that  they  fall  ready  victims  to  the  disease.  Hundreds  die  as  a 
result  of  this  unhealthy  mental  condition  which  lowers  the  vital 
resistance  and  invites  a  fatal  attack  of  the  prevailing  malady. 

Fear  itself  is  a  contagious  disease,  and  swiftly  sweeps  from 
one  mind  to  another  when  large  numbers  of  people  are  gathered 
together.  A  single  excited  soul  can  render  a  vast  crowd  panic- 
stricken  in  less  than  sixty  seconds. 

THE   FATIGUE  OF   FEAR 

Dr.  Hodge  of  Clark  University  some  time  ago  made  a  very 
extraordinary  and  interesting  series  of  observations  respecting 
the  relation  of  fatigue  and  exhaustion  to  certain  nerve  centres. 
He  first  made  use  of  honey-bees,  and  later  other  small  animals. 
A  careful  microscopic  examination  disclosed  great  visible 
differences  between  the  nerve  cells  when  in  a  state  of  fatigue, 
and  their  appearance  when  in  a  rested  state.  For  instance,  it 
is  possible  accurately  to  tell  upon  microscopic  examination  of 


THE  PSYCHOLOGY  OF  DISEASE  297 

a  nerve  cell  taken-  from  a  bee,  whether  the  bee  was  killed  on 
leaving  the  hive  in  the  morning,  or  captured  on  returning  at 
night  after  a  day's  work.  (See  Fig.  4.)  It  is  highly  probable 
that  the  psychic  state  is  able  to  contribute  much  toward  the 
prevention  of  these  fatigue  conditions  in  the  nerve  cell.  This 
explains  exactly  why  one  can  do  such  a  great  amount  of  work 
when  the  mind  is  happy  and  the  heart  is  in  the  labor  performed. 

The  power  to  sustain  the  lagging  steps  of  a  tired  army,  the 
influence  of  expected  reward,  and  an  effectual  appeal  to  the 
emotions  are  all  sufficient  partially  to  overcome  fatigue  and 
energize  the  exhausted  muscles.  These  psychic  influences  are 
able  to  give  the  body  what  might  be  called  its  "  second  wind." 

Some  people  possess  the  power  of  carrying  forward  their 
life's  work  from  day  to  day  quite  independent  of  the  stress 
and  strain  experienced  by  those  who  lack  this  intellectual  bal- 
ance and  nervous  control.  They  are  able  to  perform  a  tremen- 
dous amount  of  work  with  a  minimum  amount  of  fatigue.  The 
fatigue  of  extraordinary  muscular  effort  is  easy  to  recover 
from,  while  the  fatigue  of  mental  strain  and  long-continued 
worry  not  infrequently  persists  to  that  point  where  it  becomes 
well-nigh  continuous,  and  this  results,  sooner  or  later,  in  pro- 
ducing a  chronic  state  of  neurasthenia. 

It  is  well-known  that  when  one  greatly  fears  exhaustion, 
muscular  weariness  soon  follows.  To  doubt  one's  ability  to 
perform  a  task,  either  mental  or  physical,  is  a  sufficient  guar- 
antee of  early  exhaustion  and  severe  fatigue  symptoms. 

THE    CASTING-OUT    OF   FEAR 

From  the  cradle  to  the  grave  the  barbarian,  the  semi-civilized, 
and  even  the  modern  civilized  races,  all  live  under  the  debili- 
tating blight  of  fear.  In  childhood,  fears  are  early  entertained 
lest  the  little  ones  shall  be  stricken  with  the  numerous  diseases 
common  to  that  period  of  life.  In  advancing  years,  physical, 
mental,  and  moral  dangers  are  incessantly  feared;  and  at  last, 
on-coming  old  age  and  inevitable  death  constitute  an  ever- 
present  fear  during  the  declining  years  of  life.  Some  fear  the 
weather  and  the  winds,  catching  cold  and  hay-fever,  drought 
and  floods;  while  a  thousand  and  one  other  pessimistic  and 
morbid  unrealities  harass  others  at  various  periods  of  life. 


298       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

In  addition  to  the  common  fears  of  life,  certain  persons  suffer 
from  fear  of  accident,  calamity,  fire,  pestilence,  and  other  dis- 
asters. The  life  is  constantly  tortured  with  ghosts,  and  tor- 
mented with  hobgoblins.  Men  and  women  fear  to  live,  and 
fear  worse  to  die. 

The  only  hope  of  deliverance  from  this  perpetual  bondage  of 
fear  is  so  fully  to  surrender  the  mind  to  natural  faith  and 
normal  trust,  that  there  shall  take  place  a  sweeping  intellectual 
housecleaning,  after  which  the  psychic  forces  shall  be  allied  on 
the  side  of  faith  and  health,  and  fear  shall  finally  and  forever 
be  cast  down  and  forced  out  of  its  dominant  role  in  our 
thoughts  and  meditations.  If  we  are  not  always  able  to  thus 
overpower  and  eject  our  fear  thoughts  by  the  power  and  influ- 
ence of  positive  faith  thoughts,  then  let  us  temporarily  assume 
the  belief  in  certain  dogmatic  truths  —  pretend  that  faith  is  the 
victor  —  and  proceed  to  think  and  act  in  perfect  harmony  with 
this  assumption.  If  we  persist  in  the  mental  declaration  that 
hate  can  be  mastered  by  love,  if  we  daily  insist  that  love  is 
conquering  hate  in  our  lives,  eventually  it  will  appear  that  our 
thoughts  have  triumphed  —  love  will  indeed  be  found  to  have 
ascended  the  throne  and  assumed  command. 

SUMMARY  OF  THE  CHAPTER 

1.  In  general,  all  diseases  may  be  classified  as  functional  and 
organic.  The  functional  disorders  constitute  the  special  field 
of  operation  for  psychic  influences. 

2.  In  the  field  of  organic  diseases,  the  influence  of  the  mind 
as  a  preventive  and  curative  agent  is  greatly  curtailed.  The 
mind  contributes  to  the  causation  of  organic  disease  by  pro- 
ducing preceding  functional  disturbances. 

3.  With  respect  to  the  cure  of  organic  disease,  the  mind 
does  not  possess  that  direct  and  powerful  influence  which  it  is 
able  to  exercise  in  the  relief  of  functional  disorders. 

4.  In  chronic  disease,  the  mind  may  hasten  or  delay  recovery ; 
it  may  increase  or  decrease  the  numerous  functional  symptoms 
and  transitory  disturbances  which  usually  accompany  organic 
disorders. 

5.  Many  disorders  are  functional  when  acute,  but  become 
organic  when  chronic.     Acute  disease  is  ordinarily  an  effort 


THE  PSYCHOLOGY  OF  DISEASE  299 

on  the  part  of  nature  to  cure  —  it  is  an  active  battle  to  overcome 
infection  and  preserve  life. 

6.  On  the  other  hand,  chronic  disease  represents  a  physical 
attitude  of  more  or  less  complete  surrender  to  the  forces  of 
disease.  Ordinarily,  acute  disease  v^^ill  recover  of  itself, 
provided  the  exciting  causes  are  removed;  not  so  with  chronic 
disease,  it  yields  only  to  persistent  treatment,  and  not  infre- 
quently is  found  to  be  incurable. 

7.  Disease  is  not  an  entity,  but  a  condition ;  it  is  not  a  thing, 
but  a  relation.  Health  is  nature  at  work  in  man  under  natural 
conditions;  disease  is  the  same  power  at  work  under  unnatural 
conditions. 

8.  Pain  is  the  outcry  of  the  physical  conscience  against 
physical  danger.  The  language  of  disease  constitutes  a  solemn 
warning  against  wrong  habits,  unwholesome  practices,  and 
unsanitary  surroundings. 

9.  Acute  disease  is  both  curative  and  corrective ;  chronic  dis- 
ease, in  its  later  stages,  becomes  a  process  of  degeneration  and 
destruction. 

10.  It  is  entirely  possible  for  one-time  psychical  disturbances 
to  evolve  into  later  physical  disorders. 

11.  Fear  is  a  psychic  contagion.  It  is  even  dangerous  for 
some  susceptible  persons  to  read  health-literature  —  they  are 
so  liable  to  acquire  the  disease  about  which  they  read.  The 
almanac  has  manufactured  many  an  invalid. 

12.  Fear  undoubtedly  adds  greatly  to  the  mortality  of  all 
great  epidemics.  Worry  weakens  the  resistance  of  the  body 
to  all  infectious  and  contagious  diseases. 

13.  The  nerve  cell  of  a  honey-bee  looks  different  at  night 
after  a  day's  work  from  what  it  does  in  the  morning.  Fear 
and  worry  exhaust  the  energies  of  the  nerve  centres  much 
sooner  than  physical  work. 

14.  Neurasthenia  is  a  state  of  the  nervous  system  where  fa- 
tigue has  become  continuous  —  chronic.  Fear  and  worry  are 
the  chief  factors  in  producing  nervous  prostration. 

15.  Cast  out  fear.  Surrender  the  mind  to  natural  faith  and 
normal  trust.  Let  the  psychic  forces  be  allied  with  faith  and 
health,  let  fear  be  finally  and  forever  cast  down  and  banished 
from  the  mental  domain. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

THE  PSYCHIC  ELEMENT  IN  THE  CAUSE  AND  CURE 
OF  DISEASE 

The  affirmation  of  health  and  the  denial  of  disease. — 
Diseases  which  may  be  directly  and  immediately  cured 

BY  PSYCHIC  influences. —  DISORDERS  OF  THE  HEART  AND  THE 
CIRCULATION. —  DISEASES  OF  THE  DIGESTIVE  SYSTEM  AND  DIS- 
TURBANCES  OF   SECRETION. MeNTAL    AND   NERVOUS    DISORDERS. 

—  Disorders  of  respiration,  nutrition,  and  metabolism. 
— Miscellaneous  diseases. —  The  relation  of  the  mind  to 
acute  contagious  and  infectious  diseases. —  accidents, 
poisoning,  and  intoxications. summary  of  the  chapter. 


I 


T  is  generally  believed  by  experienced  physicians  that  at 
least  two-thirds  of  the  ordinary  cases  of  sickness  which 
doctors  are  called  upon  to  treat  would,  if  left  entirely  alone, 
recover  without  the  aid  of  the  doctor  or  his  medicine.  In  the 
majority  of  cases,  the  recovery  would  occur  almost  as  quickly 
and  completely  as  under  medical  treatment,  provided  the  pa- 
tients could  have  good  hygienic  care  and  proper  nursing,  to- 
gether with  influences  tending  to  produce  a  positive  expectation 
of  recovery. 

THE  AFFIRMATION   OF   HEALTH    AND  THE   DENIAL  OF  DISEASE 

There  are  preventive  possibilities  and  curative  powers  in  the 

\jj^/^s/^    positive  affirmation  of  health  on  the  part  of  the  mind.     There 

0  is  genuine  ability  to  resist  sickness  in  the  positive  denial  of 

^  disease.       This    fact    probably    constitutes    one    of    the    great 

secrets  of  success  in  the  spread  of  so-called  Christian  Science. 

By  means  of  the  fallacious  denial  of  all  human  diseases,  the 

Christian  Scientist  is  able  at  least  to  escape  those  disturbances 

which  are  purely  psychic  in  origin. 

Human  health  and  happiness  cannot  be  greatly  promoted  if 

300 


CAUSE  AND  CURE  OF  DISEASE  301 

the  civilized  races  do  not  bear  in  mind  two  great  truths: 
first,  the  influence  of  the  mind  in  the  prevention  of  disease; 
second,  the  marvellous  power  of  nature  to  heal.  The  mind 
exerts  its  wonderful  influences  over  the  body  largely  through 
the  avenue  of  three  special  sets  of  nerves,  the  sensory  nerves, 
the  vasomotor  nerves,  and  the  trophic  nerves. 

Concerning  the  influence  of  the  mind  on  health,  the  noted 
Dr.  Osier  says: 

"The  psychical  method  has  always  played  an  important,  though 
largely  unrecognized,  part  in  therapeutics.  It  is  from  faith,  which 
buoys  up  the  spirits,  sets  the  blood  flowing  more  freely,  and  the 
nerves  playing  their  part  without  disturbance,  that  a  large  part  of 
the  cure  arises.  Despondency  or  lack  of  faith  will  often  sink  the 
stoutest  constitution  almost  to  death's  door.  Faith  will  enable  a 
spoonful  of  water  or  a  bread  pill  to  do  almost  miracles  of  healing 
when  the  best  medicines  have  been  given  up  in  despair.  The  basis 
of  the  entire  profession  of  medicine  is  faith  in  the  doctor,  his  drugs, 
and  his  methods." 

The  author  does  not  place  so  much  faith  in  the  negative  side 
of  psychotherapy;  that  is,  the  denial  of  disease.  The  positive 
affirmation  of  health  is  the  important  thing,  and  this  is  nothing 
more  or  less  than  hygienic  auto-suggestion. 

DISEASES   WHICH    MAY  BE  DIRECTLY   AND  IMMEDIATELY  CURED  BY 
PSYCHIC    INFLUENCES 

Having  quite  fully  considered  the  difference  between  func- 
tional and  organic  diseases  and  the  distinction  between  acute 
and  chronic  disorders,  in  the  preceding  chapter,  it  will  now  be 
in  place  more  specifically  to  discuss  the  exact  relation  of  the 
mind  to  the  cause  and  cure  of  various  common  physical  maladies. 

It  should  be  recalled  that  a  great  many  diseases  can  be  wholly 
produced  and  completely  cured  by  mental  influences  alone. 
Such  diseases,  of  course,  are  purely  functional.  Other  chronic 
and  organic  diseases,  as  such,  cannot  be  produced  by  exclusive 
mental  influences,  neither  can  they  be  fully  cured  by  unaided 
psychic  power.  It  is  true  that  many  such  chronic  organic  dis- 
eases are  but  the  results  of  preceding  acute  and  functional 
disorders,  and  it  must  be  recognized  that  very  often  these  func- 
tional diseases,  which  prove  to  be  the  forerunners  of  chronic 
and  organic  disorders,  were  not  infrequently  wholly  or  partially 
due  to  psychic  influences. 


302       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

We  are  forced  to  recognize  two  great  classes  of  physical 
disorders:  one  in  which  the  mind  is  a  powerful  factor  in  both 
the  cause  and  the  cure ;  the  other  —  the  organic  diseases  —  in 
which  the  mind  exerts  but  a  minimum  influence.  In  addition 
to  these  two  great  classes  of  diseases  there  may  be  recognized 
a  third  class  of  physical  disorders,  in  which  the  mind  exerts  a 
varying  and  uncertain  influence,  both  as  to  causation  and  cure. 

There  exists  a  great  class  of  human  diseases  which  the  mind 
cannot  cause  and  which  it  cannot  cure,  and  yet  it  can  contribute 
much  toward  increasing  or  diminishing  the  intensity  of  the 
disease  and  the  severity  of  its  symptoms.  Psychic  influences 
often  can  do  much  to  control  symptoms  as  well  as  to  lessen 
the  progress  of  the  disease  and  mitigate  the  suffering.  We  will 
now  take  up  briefly  various  groups  of  common  diseases  and 
note  more  specifically  the  influence  of  the  mind  in  connection 
therewith. 

In  all  our  study  of  the  psychic  cause  and  treatment  of  dis- 
ease, there  is  one  important  fact  which  should  constantly  be 
borne  in  mind:  The  majority  of  the  diseases  which  can  he 
mentally  produced  and  psychically  cured,  can  also  he  produced 
hy  other  {material)  influences,  and  likewise  they  may  he  cured 
by  the  employment  of  physical  agencies  —  material  treatment. 
Psychic  influences  are  able  to  cause  many  physical  disorders, 
which,  when  they  have  long  existed,  the  mind  is  by  no  means 
able  to  cure  by  its  own  unaided  efforts. 

I.    DISORDERS    OF   THE    HEART    AND    CIRCULATION 

A.  Diseases  which  can  be  caused  and  partially  or  wholly  cured 
by  psychic  influences: 


Intermittent  Pulse. 
Fainting  and  Collapse. 
Nervous  Heart-failure. 
Palpitation  of  the  Heart. 
Abnormally  Rapid  Heart. 
Pain  in  the  Cardiac  Region. 
Capillary   Spasm  —  Pale   Skin. 
Irregularity  of   Heart   Action. 
Local  Hypersemia  —  Mild  Forms 
of  Congestion. 


Low  Blood-pressure,  as  in  Nerv- 
ous  Prostration. 

High  Blood-pressure  with  its 
Attendant  Disorders. 

Sluggish  Circulation  —  Chron- 
ically Cold  Hands  and  Feet. 

Vaso-motor  Instability  —  Loss  of 
Circulatory   Equilibrium. 

Abnormal  and  Unpleasant  Sen- 
sations in  the  Region  of  the 
Heart. 


CAUSE  AND  CURE  OF  DISEASE 


303 


B.  Diseases  in  which  the  mind  may  be  only  indirectly  concerned 
in  the  causation,  and  which  the  mind  alone  cannot  possibly 
cure,  although  the  psychic  state  may  mitigate  symptoms 
and  assist  in  relieving  the  suffering: 

of 


Aneurisms. 

Hemorrhoids. 

Varicose  Veins. 

Anaemia  —  Positive. 

Senile  Heart  Failure. 

Valvular  Heart  Diseases.' 

Permanent  Dilation  of  the  Heart. 

Fatty  Degeneration  of  the  Heart. 

Cardiac   Hypertrophy  —  Enlarge- 
ment. 

C.  Diseases  in  which  the  mind  exerts  a  varying  and  uncertain 
influence,  sometimes  being  more  or  less  responsible  for 
the  causation,  and  more  or  less  concerned  in  the  cure: 


Myocarditis  —  Inflammation 

the  Heart  Muscle. 
Arteriosclerosis     or     Hardening 

of  the  Arteries. 
Endocarditis  —  Inflammation     of 

the  Heart  Lining. 
Pericarditis  —  Inflammation       of 

the   Heart  Coverings. 


Arteriosclerosis. 
Angina  Pectoris. 
Relative  Anaemia. 
Angioneurotic  Oedema. 

II.    DISEASES    OF    THE    DIGESTIVE 


Rupture  of  Blood  Vessels. 
Chronic  Passive  Congestion. 
Local  Congestion  and  Inflamma- 
tion. 

SYSTEM    AND    DISTURBANCES    OF 
SECRETION 

Diseases  which  can  be  caused  and  partially  or  wholly  cured 
by  psychic  influences : 

Flatulency  —  Eructations  of  Gas. 
Variations    of    the   Urinary    Se- 
cretion. 
Secretions      of     the     Mammary 

Gland  — Milk. 
Acid      Dyspepsia  —  Souring      of 
the  Stomach. 


Diarrhoea. 

Constipation. 

Acute  Gastritis. 

Slow  Digestion. 

Nervous  Dyspepsia. 

Nausea  and  Vomiting, 

Gastralgia  —  Stomach 
gia. 

B,  Diseases  in  which  the  mind  may  be  only  indirectly  con- 
cerned in  the  causation,  and  which  the  mind  alone  cannot 
possibly  cure,  although  the  psychic  state  may  mitigate 
symptoms  and  assist  in  relieving  the  suffering: 


Neural- 


Hernia. 
Gall  Stones. 
Appendicitis. 
Gastric  Ulcer. 


Ulcerative  Colitis  —  Ulcer  of  the 

Bowel. 
Peritonitis  —  Inflammation      of 

the  Bowels. 


304       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 


Chronic    Gastritis  —  Catarrh     of 


the  Stomach. 
Pyloric     Obstruction  —  Obstruc- 
tion of  the  Stomach  Outlet. 


Cancer  of  the  Stomach. 
Permanent     Dilatation     of     the 

Stomach. 
Cirrhosis    of    the    Liver  —  Hob- 
nail Liver. 

C.  Diseases  in  which  the  mind  exerts  a  varying  and  uncertain 
influence,  sometimes  being  more  or  less  responsible  for  the 
causation,  and  more  or  less  concerned  in  the  cure: 


Certain    Forms    of    Cramps    and 

Colic. 
Enteroptosis  —  Falling    down    of 

Abdominal   Organs. 


Acute  Colitis. 
Jaundice  —  Biliousness. 
Dilatation  of  the   Stomach. 
Gastric      Atony  —  Muscular 
Weakness. 

III.    MENTAL    AND    NERVOUS   DISORDERS 

A.  Diseases  which  can  be  caused  and  partially  or  wholly  cured 
by  psychic  influences: 


Delirium. 
Brain-fag. 
Headaches. 
Hypochondria. 
Nervous  Tremors. 
Hysteric  Blindness. 
General  Nervousness. 
Paralysis  —  Hysterical. 
Pain  —  Pseudo-neuralgia. 
Spasm  and  Convulsions, 
Epilepsy  —  Certain  Forms. 


Hysteria  —  In  Certain  Cases. 

Neurasthenia  —  Nervous  Ex- 
haustion. 

St.  Vitus's  Dance  —  In  Some 
Cases. 

Trophic  Disorders  —  Disturb- 
ances of  the  General  or  Local 
Nutrition. 

Temporary  Loss  of  Speech,  Il- 
lusions, Delusions,  Hallucina- 
tions. 


Insanity  —  Certain   Forms. 

B.  Diseases  in  which  the  mind  may  be  only  indirectly  con- 
cerned in  the  causation,  and  which  the  mind  alone  cannot 
possibly  cure,  .although  the  psychic  state  may  mitigate 
symptoms  and  assist  in  relieving  the  suffering: 


Brain  Tumors. 
Facial  Paralysis. 
Spinal  Sclerosis. 
Chronic  Neuritis. 
Locomotor  Ataxia. 
Paralysis  —  Actual. 
Blindness  —  Actual. 


Infantile  Paralysis. 

Raynaud's  Disease  —  Ulcers. 

Paresis  —  Softening  of  the  Brain. 

Insanity  — Organic  Brain  Dis- 
orders. 

Organic  Diseases  of  the  Eye, 
Ear,  or  Nose. 


CAUSE  AND  CURE  OF  DISEASE 


305 


C.  Diseases  in  which  the  mind  exerts  a  varying  and  uncertain 
influence,  sometimes  being  more  or  less  responsible  for  the 
causation,  and  more  or  less  concerned  in  the  cure : 


Certain  Forms. 
•Nervous  Sick  Head- 


Apoplexy. 

Neuralgia. 

General  Hysteria. 

St.  Vitus's  Dance. 

Paralysis  Agitans. 

Insanity  —  Certain   Forms. 

IV.    DISORDERS    OF    RESPIRATION,    NUTRITION,    AND     METABOLISM 

A.  Diseases  which  can  be  caused  and  partially  or  wholly  cured 
by  psychic  influences: 


Epilepsy  ■ 
Migraine 

ache. 
Eye  Strain  and  Other  Eye  Weak 

nesses. 


Coughing  and  Hiccupping. 
Derangements  of  Breathing. 


Malnutrition. 

Chronic  Emaciation. 

Hay-fever  —  Certain    Forms. 

B.  Diseases  in  which  the  mind  may  be  only  indirectly  concerned 
in  the  causation,  and  which  the  mind  alone  cannot  possibly 
cure,  although  the  psychic  state  may  mitigate  symptoms 
and  assist  in  relieving  the  suffering: 


Chronic  Catarrh. 
Bright's  Disease. 
Arthritis  Deformans. 
Chronic  Rheumatism. 
Thrush  —  Sore  Mouth. 


Gout. 

Goitre. 

Obesity. 

Pleurisy, 

Tonsilitis. 

Bronchitis. 

C.  Diseases  in  which  the  mind  exerts  a  varying  and  uncertain 
influence,  sometimes  being  more  or  less  responsible  for  the 
causation,  and  more  or  less  concerned  in  the  cure: 

Asthma.  <  Colds  — Acute  Catarrh. 

Diabetes.  | 

v.    MISCELLANEOUS  DISEASES 

A.  Diseases  which  can  be  caused  and  partially  or  wholly  cured 
by  psychic  influences: 


Functional  Pain. 
Shock  —  Nervous. 
Muscular  Spasms. 
Muscular  Fatigue. 
Abnormal  Sweating. 
Chills  and  Shivering. 


Insomnia  —  Sleeplessness. 
Stammering  and  Stuttering. 
Skin  Diseases  —  Functional. 
Abnormal  Sensations  Arising  in 
the  Skin  and  the  Nerves. 


3o6       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  'AND  FEAR 

B.  Diseases  in  which  the  mind  may  be  only  indirectly  concerned 
in  the  causation,  and  which  the  mind  alone  cannot  possibly 
cure,  although  the  psychic  state  may  mitigate  symptoms 
and  assist  in  relieving  the  sufferings: 


Rickets. 
Cancers. 
Adenoids. 
Gangrene. 
Abscesses. 
Deformities. 
Decayed  Teeth. 
Various  Tumors. 
Warts  and  Moles. 


Organic  Skin  Diseases. 

Various  Bone  Diseases. 

Stone  in  Bladder  or  Kidney. 

Pain  Attending  Organic  Dis- 
eases. 

Spinal  Curvature  —  Long  Stand- 
ing. 

Cataract  and  Other  Defects  of 
the  Eye. 


C.  Diseases  in  which  the  mind  exerts  a  varying  and  uncertain 
influence,  sometimes  being  more  or  less  responsible  for  the 
causation,  and  more  or  less  concerned  in  the  cure: 


Fever. 
Lumbago. 


Writer's  Cramps. 

Enuresis  —  Wetting  the  Bed. 


THE  RELATION   OF   THE  MIND  TO    ACUTE    CONTAGIOUS   AND   INFEC- 
TIOUS DISEASES 

The  reader  has  no  doubt  noticed  that  in  the  study  of  func- 
tional and  organic,  as  well  as  acute  and  chronic  disorders,  no 
mention  has  been  made  of  the  numerous  acute  infectious  and 
contagious  diseases.  The  mental  state  is  but  little  concerned 
in  these  diseases,  as  before  noted,  except  in  so  far  as  the  psychic 
state  may  contribute  to  the  weakening  of  the  vital  resistance, 
by  means  of  fear  and  worry  disturbances,  thus  predisposing  the 
sufferer  to  "  catching  disease."  Only  in  this  indirect  way  is  the 
psychic  state  concerned  in  the  causation  of  these  common  con- 
tagious and  infectious  disorders.  A  possible  exception  is  the 
case  of  the  venereal  infections,  where  the  individual  directly 
and  knowingly  exposes  himself  to  infection ;  but  this  can  hardly 
be  included  under  the  head  of  psychic  influences,  as  it  is  a  case 
of  deliberate  exposure  to  known  danger. 

The  following  list  of  diseases  comprises  the  more  common  in- 
fections, and  are  those  which  are  particularly  dangerous  to  the 
race,  when  the  idea  is  entertained  that  all  diseases  are  mental 
in  origin  and  wholly  subject  to  psychic  cure.  This  list  of  con- 
tagious diseases  includes  the  maladies  which  are  rendered  more 


CAUSE  AND  CURE  OF  DISEASE 


307 


dangerous  by  all  those  systems  of  belief  which  deny  the  exist- 
ence of  disease,  and  which  are  therefore  liable  to  resist  all 
efforts  of  quarantine  or  to  ignore  the  isolation  imposed  by  the 
health  authorities. 

TABLE  OF   ACUTE   INFECTIOUS  AND  CONTAGIOUS  DISEASES 


Mumps. 

Measles. 

Smallpox. 

Diphtheria. 

Meningitis. 

Hydrophobia. 

Chickenpox. 

Scarlet  Fever. 

Whooping-cough. 

Tetanus  —  Lockjaw. 


Boils. 
Erysipelas. 
Inflammation. 
Typhus  Fever. 
Yellow  Fever. 
Typhoid  Fever. 
Malarial  Fever. 
Relapsing  Fever. 
Rheumatic  Fever. 
Septicemia  —  Blood 
Poisoning. 

ACCIDENTS,   POISONING,  AND  INTOXICATIONS 

There  remains  but  one  more  miscellaneous  group  of  human 
afflictions  to  be  considered.  It  is  quite  difficult,  in  a  general  way, 
to  explain  the  relation  of  the  psychic  state  to  these  disorders. 
Accidents,  intoxications,  and  poisoning  may  be  summarized  as 
follows : 


Leprosy. 
Anthrax. 
Cholera. 
Glanders. 
Influenza. 
Pneumonia. 
Dysentery. 
The  Plague. 
Tuberculosis. 
Syphilis  and  Gonor- 
rhea. 


Poisoning 
Alcoholism. 
Heat  Stroke. 
Drug  Habits. 
Food  Poisoning. 
Auto-intoxication. 
Mineral  Poisoning. 


Accidents  Parasites 

Burns.  Worms. 

Scalds.  Itches. 

Fractures.  Trichina. 

Hemorrhages.  Tape  Worms. 

Dislocations. 

Surgical  Disorders. 
In  the  case  of  alcoholism  (drunkenness)  the  mind  certainly 
plays  an  important  part  in  the  acute  or  early  stage.  Later,  the 
disease  becomes  one  of  general  degeneration  both  in  mind  and 
body,  and  it  is  very  seldom  that  a  cure  is  effected  by  the  mind 
alone,  unaided  by  other  influences  and  treatments.  The  same 
state  of  affairs  exists  in  morphinism.  The  mind  as  concerned 
in  treating  these  drug  habits  was  quite  fully  considered  in  a 
previous  chapter. 

Cases  of  food  poisoning  and  mineral  poisoning  are  usually 
accidental,  while  auto-intoxication  or  chronic  self -poisoning,  is 


hMr 


308       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

a  condition  usually  associated  with  errors  in  diet  and  deficient 
elimination.  Heat  stroke  usually  results  from  an  accumulation 
of  metabolic  poisons  in  the  body,  and  is  directly  due  to  the 
demoralization  of  the  heat-regulating  mechanism. 

With  reference  to  accidents,  the  mind  is  only  concerned  in 
the  capacity  of  negligence  or  unawareness,  and  it  is  self-evident 
that  the  mind  cannot  of  itself  effect  a  cure  of  fractures,  disloca- 
tions, or  hemorrhages,  though  the  mental  state  may  directly 
contribute  toward  relieving  the  suffering,  as  well  as  toward 
encouraging  the  patient  bearing  of  the  subsequent  inconvenience 
and  embarrassment.  There  is  a  vast  group  of  so-called  surgical 
diseases  which  demand  mechanical  interference  for  their  relief, 
and  the  mind  can  be  regarded  only  as  a  contributing  factor  in 
either  the  cause  or  the  cure  of  disorders  belonging  to  this  class. 

With  reference  to  the  parasites  which  may  infest  the  skin  or 
infect  the  body,  the  mind  certainly  is  but  little  concerned.  The 
psychic  state  may  control  functional  itching  of  the  skin,  but  it 
would  be  difficult  for  the  mind  to  overcome  the  sensations 
attending  the  burrowing  of  the  itch-mite  underneath  the  skin. 
Worms,  tape  worms,  and  trichinae,  likewise  invariably  demand 
appropriate  treatment. 

SUMMARY  OF  THE  CHAPTER 

1.  There  are  preventive  possibilities  and  curative  powers  in 
the  positive  affirmation  of  health  and  the  firm  denial  of 
sickness. 

2.  There  are  two  great  health  truths  which  should  not  be  for- 
gotten: first,  the  power  of  the  mind  to  prevent  disease;  and, 
second,  the  marvellous  power  of  nature  to  heal. 

3.  Faith  will  enable  a  spoonful  of  water  or  a  bread  pill  to 
accomplish  almost  miracles  of  healing  when  the  best  medicines 
have  been  given  up  in  despair. 

4.  Many  functional  diseases  can  be  wholly  produced  and 
completely  cured  by  mental  influences  alone.  Other  chronic 
and  organic  disorders,  as  such,  cannot  be  produced  or  cured  by 
exclusively  psychic  influences. 

5.  Functional  diseases,  wholly  or  partially  due  to  psychic 
influences,  not  infrequently  prove  to  be  the  forerunners  of 
chronic  and  organic  disorders  —  diseases  but  little  subject  to 
the  psychic  curative  powers. 


CAUSE  AND  CURE  OF  DISEASE  309 

6.  Even  when  mental  influences  cannot  remove  disease,  the 
state  of  the  mind  is  able  to  accomplish  much  toward  the  con- 
trolling of  symptoms,  as  well  as  to  lessen  the  progress  of  the 
disease  and  mitigate  suffering. 

7.  The  majority  of  diseases  which  can  be  mentally  produced 
and  psychically  cured  can  also  be  produced  and  cured  by  ma- 
terial influences  —  physical  agencies.  The  mind  is  able  to 
cause  physical  disorders,  which,  when  they  have  long  existed, 
the  psychic  powers  are  unable  to  cure  by  their  own  unaided 
efforts. 

8.  Numerous  heart  diseases  and  disorders  of  the  circulation 
can  be  caused  and  partially  or  wholly  cured  by  the  mind,  such 
as  fainting,  heart  failure,  palpitation,  high  blood-pressure. 
Other  disorders  in  which  the  mind  is  but  little  concerned  are, 
valvular  heart  diseases,  arteriosclerosis,  and  fatty  degeneration 
of  the  heart.  In  numerous  other  disorders,  the  mind  is  only 
indirectly  concerned. 

9.  Many  disturbances  of  secretion  and  disorders  of  indiges- 
tion are  almost  wholly  due  to  the  mental  state,  such  as  acid  dys- 
pepsia, nausea  and  vomiting,  diarrhoea,  and  constipation,  while 
such  disorders  as  gastric  ulcer  and  gall  stones  are  but  little 
related  to  the  psychic  state. 

10.  Numerous  mental  and  nervous  diseases  —  brain-fag, 
neurasthenia,  hysteria,  and  headaches  —  may  be  directly  caused 
by  the  state  of  the  mind.  Other  nervous  disorders,  such  as  in- 
fantile paralysis,  locomotor  ataxia,  and  brain  tumors,  are  quite 
independent  of  the  psychic  state. 

11.  While  coughing,  hay- fever,  and  malnatrition  may  spring 
from  purely  psychic  influences,  tonsilitis,  gout,  and  Bright's 
disease  are  neither  caused  nor  cured  by  exclusively  mental 
power. 

12.  Fatigue,  stammering,  and  insomnia  may  result  from  fear 
and  worry;  but  cancers,  tumors,  and  stone  in  the  bladder  are 
physical  disorders  over  which  the  mind  wields  but  little  direct 
power  in  either  their  causation  or  cure. 

13.  The  mind  is  concerned  in  the  production  of  acute  infec- 
tious and  contagious  diseases,  only  in  so  far  as  fear  is  able  to 
weaken  the  vital  resistance  of  the  body  and  predispose  a  person 


310       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

to  infection.  Faith  contributes  to  hastening  the  recovery  from 
all  these  disorders,  such  as  typhoid  fever,  pneumonia,  and 
influenza. 

14.  The  mind  is  a  powerful  factor  in  the  cause  and  cure  of 
alcoholism  and  other  drug  habits,  but  it  usually  requires  that 
the  mental  powers  should  be  reinforced  by  moral  strength  and 
physical  treatment. 

15.  Only  in  so  far  as  carelessness  is  concerned,  the  mind  is 
unable  either  to  prevent  or  cure  accidents  and  their  conse- 
quences; although  the  mental  state  of  sufferers  from  accidents 
has  much  to  do  with  determining  the  degree  of  inconvenience 
and  embarrassment  which  may  attend  fractures  and  other  sur- 
gical accidents. 


CHAPTER   XXIX 

MENTAL  MEDICINE  AND  MORAL  HYGIENE 

The  ancient  physician-priests. —  The  divorcement  of  the- 
ology AND  therapeutics. —  The  Emmanuel  Movement. — 
Faith  a  vital  energy. —  The  religious  life. —  Sin  and 
SICKNESS. —  The     moral      mastery. —  Summary     of     the 

CHAPTER. 

IN  recent  years,  we  are  coming  more  and  more  to  look  upon 
man  as  a  whole  —  to  recognize  that  every  human  being  rep- 
resents a  community  of  diversified  interests,  embracing  problems 
of  mind,  morals,  and  matter.  Nowadays,  we  seldom  treat  a  sick 
man  by  administering  medicine  designed  merely  to  relieve  his 
immediate  symptoms;  we  rarely  exclusively  direct  our  thera- 
peutic efforts  simply  at  the  ailing  vital  organ  or  the  offending 
physical  member.  In  most  diseases,  we  find  it  advisable  to  treat 
the  whole  physical  man  —  not  merely  to  combat  his  local 
symptoms. 

And  so,  having  advanced  in  modern  therapeutics  to  that  point 
where  we  recognize  the  necessity  of  treating  the  whole  physical 
body  in  most  cases  of  common  disorders,  the  time  is  certainly 
ripe  for  a  further  forward  movement  in  the  scientific  and 
sensible  treatment  of  human  disease.  The  next  grtat  advance 
in  modern  therapeutics  consists  in  a  greater  recognition  of  the 
importance  of  treating  not  merely  the  whole  body,  but  of  ad- 
ministering therapeutically  to  the  whole  man  —  to  the  mental 
man  and  the  moral  as  well  as  to  the  material  man ;  to  the  psychic 
man  as  well  as  to  the  physical  man. 

THE  ANCIENT  PHYSICIAN-PRIESTS 

In  ancient  times  (the  pre-Christian  era)  the  professions  of 
physician  and  priest  were  often  combined  in  the  same  individual. 
The  ancient  ministers  of  religion  were  also  the  custodians  of 
the  physical  happiness  and  sanitary  welfare  of  the  people, 

3" 


312       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

The  Hebrew  priests  gave  the  same  careful  attention  to  the 
dietetic  practices  and  the  sanitary  regulations  affecting  the 
physical  health  of  the  Jews,  that  they  gave  to  ceremonial  ritu- 
als and  the  theological  teaching  concerned  in  their  mental  and 
moral  instruction.  The  priest  of  that  day  and  age  represented 
the  highest  knowledge  and  skill  in  medicine  as  well  as  in 
theology.     (Fig.  2y.) 

In  the  Mosaic  laws  there  may  be  found  most  careful  and 
minute  instructions  relating  to  diagnosis,  sanitation,  quarantine, 
and  dietetics,  and  many  of  these  sanitary  laws  would  do  great 
credit  even  to  our  modern  sanitarians. 

Since  the  physicians  of  the  ancient  peoples  were  often  their 
own  priests,  it  is  highly  probable  that  the  sick  and  afflicted 
among  them  were  in  receipt  of  abundant  religious  consolation. 
To  call  a  priest  of  that  day  to  the  bedside  of  the  sick  and  suf- 
fering, was  equivalent  to  calling  a  doctor,  a  minister,  and  a 
psychologist.  The  old-time  priest  practised  to  the  best  of  his 
light  and  knowledge ;  and  there  were  none  in  his  day  who  under- 
stood these  things  better  than  he  —  all  the  principles  of  medi- 
cine, the  physical  treatment  of  disease;  and  religion,  the  moral 
treatment  of  disease.  While  through  his  forms  and  ceremonies, 
in  a  most  wonderftal  and  effective  manner  he  appealed  to  the 
faith  of  his  Subjects,  he  was  also  a  successful  practitioner  of 
mental  medicine  —  psychotherapy. 

Mediaeval  medicine  was  closely  allied  to  priest-craft,  and  was 
necessarily  permeated  with  the  superstitions  of  that  credulous 
age.  All  down  through  history,  the  practice  of  the  healing  art 
has  been  closely  related  to  the  religious  thought  of  the  times; 
and  it  was  not  until  the  last  century  that  a  purely  materialistic 
medical  philosophy  came  fully  to  bud  and  blossom. 

THE  DIVORCEMENT  OF  THEOLOGY   AND  THERAPEUTICS 

The  real  foundation  for  the  divorcement  and  separation  of 
theology  and  therapeutics  was  laid  in  the  dark  ages,  when  there 
sprang  into  prominence  the  doctrine  of  physical  penance  and 
bodily  humiliation,  which  culminated  in  the  teaching  that 
"  the  healthiest  souls  dwelt  in  the  sickliest  bodies."  From  that 
day  forward,  while  religion  continued  to  grope  its  way  in  the 
uncertain  realms  of  superstition  and  speculation,  medicine  be§;an 


FIG.  27.     AN  ANCIENT   PHY5  IC  IAN  -  PRIEST- 


MENTAL  MEDICINE  AND  MORAL  HYGIENE  313 

Its  long  and  laborious  march  on  a  new  and  materialistic  path- 
way, toward  its  ultimate  goal  of  scientific  accuracy  —  freedom 
from  empiricism  and  superstition.  From  decade  to  decade, 
from  century  to  century,  the  breach  widened  until  the  last  gen- 
eration witnessed  the  absolute  and  final  separation  of  theology 
and  therapeutics.  The  preacher  developed  exclusively  into  a 
moral  teacher;  the  physician  came  to  be  occupied  alone  with 
physical  disease  and  its  treatment. 

In  the  olden  time,  the  afflicted  soul  could  summon  the  priest, 
and  this  one  man  represented  the  highest  knowledge  and  attain- 
ment in  mental  medicine,  material  medicine,  and  spiritual  suc- 
cor. But  times  have  changed.  The  last  generation  has  estab- 
lished a  new  order  of  dealing  with  human  sickness  and  sorrow ; 
now  the  afflicted  one  must  summon  a  doctor  for  physical  help, 
a  preacher  for  spiritual  help,  and,  unless  doctor  and  preacher, 
singly  or  together,  understand  and  appreciate  mental  therapeu- 
tics, he  may,  in  the  end,  be  forced  to  summon  a  third  party  to 
give  him  needed  help  along  the  lines  of  mental  medicine. 

And  so  the  modern  priest  has  come  to  deal  only  with  religion, 
while  the  work  of  his  old-time  predecessor  in  the  line  of  treat- 
ing physical  disease  has  been  wholly  taken  over  by  a  carefully 
trained  and  highly  specialized  medical  profession.  Both  the 
preacher  and  the  doctor  have  made  a  fatal  mistake  in  utterly 
ignoring  the  principles  and  practice  of  mental  medicine ;  so  that, 
while  the  doctor  may  treat  the  body  and  the  preacher  minister 
to  the  soul,  the  people  have  been  turned  largely  over  to  quacks 
and  charlatans  to  secure  their  needed  help  in  ministrations  to 
the  burdened  mind  and  the  sorrowful  heart. 

The  separation  of  theology  and  medicine  was  inevitable.  The 
ancient  theologians  directed  therapeutics  into  superstitious 
channels,  and  in  many  other  ways  stifled  scientific  investigation 
and  therapeutic  progress;  on  the  other  hand,  the  leading 
spirits  in  medicine  were  becoming  more  and  more  materialistic 
and  were  gradually  undermining  the  spiritual  foundations  of 
religious  hope.  For  the  time  being,  it  was  to  the  interest  of 
both  professions  that  they  should  be  completely  divorced;  and 
the  two  have  grown  steadily  apart,  until  in  very  recent  years 
we  are  beginning  to  observe  a  disposition  in  some  quarters  to 


314       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

effect  a  more  cordial  working  relation  between  the  doctor  and 
the  minister. 

THE  EMMANUEL  MOVEMENT 

We  have  only  kind  words  to  say  for  the  Emmanuel  Move- 
ment or  any  other  movement  capable  of  uplifting  humanity  and 
bringing  together  ministers  and  doctors  for  the  purpose  of  help- 
ing forward  the  great  movement  to  popularize  psychotherapy. 
Until  the  minister  has  given  more  attention  to  the  questions 
of  health  and  disease,  we  believe  that  all  successful  efforts  and 
permanent  movements  for  the  practice  of  mental  medicine  will 
have  to  be  largely  carried  forward  by  the  medical  profession, 
with  the  cooperation  of  minister  and  layman,  of  all  who  have  a 
mind  to  help  in  the  glorious  work  of  emancipating  the  people 
from  the  bondage  of  fear. 

We  cannot  but  doubt  the  efficiency  and  permanency  of  such 
movements  organized  by  ministers,  with  physicians  merely 
cooperating.  Not  only  so,  but  we  seriously  doubt  the  wisdom 
of  the  physician  who  for  an  hour  would  resign  a  difficult  case, 
though  it  were  known  or  thought  to  be  merely  functional,  to  the 
care  of  one  whose  training  has  been  that  of  the  psychotherapist 
alone.  This  we  urge  on  the  ground  of  what  has  been  previously 
said  with  regard  to  the  behavior  of  functional  disorders.  We 
cannot  draw  a  sharp  and  indisputable  line  between  functional 
and  organic  diseases.  The  medical  practitioner  cannot  foretell 
the  time  when  the  apparently  functional  disturbance  which  he 
turned  over  to  the  mental  healer  may  become  organic,  and  so 
pass  entirely  out  of  the  reach  of  the  psychic  practitioner.  Let 
the  two  cooperate  as  the  leaders  of  the  Emmanuel  Movement 
suggest,  but  good  sense  will  insist  that  the  cooperation  shall  be 
of  the  closest  kind,  and  that  it  shall  be  only  a  makeshift,  pend- 
ing the  day  when  medical  men  may  be  equipped  to  undertake 
both  methods  of  treating  disease. 

It  is  a  great  mistake  on  the  part  of  the  medical  profession 
that  physicians  of  the  present  generation  have  not  led  out  in  all 
this  work,  for  certainly  the  medical  man  is  the  proper  person  to 
assume  the  grave  responsibility  of  the  practice  of  mental  medi- 
cine. Perhaps  physicians  of  the  next  generation,  who  have  had 
more  training  in  physiological  psychology,  will  assume  the  bur- 


MENTAL  MEDICINE  AND  MORAL  HYGIENE  315 

den  and  leadership  of  this  new  work  of  mental  healing.  It  is 
certainly  to  be  hoped  that  medical  psychology  will  soon  become 
a  part  of  the  regular  curriculum  of  all  first-class  medical  schools. 

Until  physicians,  as  a  profession,  are  able  and  willing  to 
blaze  the  way  for  the  advance  of  scientific  psychic  teaching  and 
practice,  we  should  certainly  be  very  sparing  of  our  criticism 
of  those  well-meaning  ministers  who  have  had  the  courage  to 
move  out  along  these  new  lines.  Let  us  be  exceedingly  charit- 
able toward  the  blunders  they  may  make,  until  such  a  time  as 
we  are  prepared  to  direct  them  into  more  successful  and  scien- 
tific methods  of  work. 

The  people  are  hungry  for  sympathy,  for  encouragement,  for 
advice  and  guidance;  and,  in  the  light  of  modern  psychology, 
we  are  forced  to  recognize  that  all  systems  of  religious  belief, 
more  or  less  afford  this  psychic  help.  Every  phase  of  religious 
teaching  which  specializes  on  divine  healing,  is  moving  for- 
ward in  the  world  with  great  rapidity.  The  Roman  Catholic 
Church  undoubtedly  holds  many  of  its  members  because  of  the 
peculiar  mental  relief  afforded  by  the  confessional.  Troubled 
souls  unbosom  their  sorrows  and  go  away  consoled,  and,  of 
course,  physically  and  psychically  helped  in  proportion. 

FAITH   A  VITAL  ENERGY 

Faith,  as  used  in  this  text,  means  decidedly  more  than  mere 
belief.  Living  faith  is  not  merely  a  theological  adjunct  to  a 
theoretical  religion.  Faith  is  a  vitalizing  attribute  of  the  human 
mind  —  it  possesses  tremendous  physical  possibilities  and  ex- 
traordinary therapeutic  powers.  Tolstoi  once  called  faith  "  the 
force  of  life." 

"  After  all,"  says  Dr.  Osier,  "  faith  is  a  great  leveller  of  life. 
Without  it,  man  can  do  nothing;  with  it,  even  with  a  fragment, 
as  a  grain  of  mustard  seed,  all  things  are  possible  to  him.  Faith 
in  us,  faith  in  our  drugs  and  methods,  is  the  great  stock  in  trade 
of  the  profession.  .  .  .  It  is  the  aurum  potabile,  the  touch- 
stone of  success  in  medicine.  As  Galen  says,  '  Confidence  and 
hope  do  more  good  than  physic'  He  cures  most  in  whom  most 
are  confident." 

Faith  means  more  than  belief.  To  believe  a  thing  is  merely 
to  accept  it  by  our  reason;  to  realize  that  no  facts  or  logical 


3i6       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

considerations  of  any  kind  exist  which  can  prevail  against  it. 
Faith  implies  such  acceptance  even  in  the  face  of  considerations 
of  fact  or  of  logic;  their  reality  may  be  recognized,  but  they 
are  consistently  ignored  when  they  appear  in  relation  to  the 
object  of  our  faith.  Faith  calls  for  a  complete  and  unconditional 
surrender  of  one's  whole  body,  soul,  and  spirit,  to  the  idea  or 
thing  which  is  believed  in.  Faith,  of  necessity,  must  further  in- 
clude the  idea  of  obedience  to  that  which  it  accepts. 

Belief  only  requires  the  cooperation  of  the  intellectual  powers, 
and  an  impartial  distribution  of  the  affections,  over  the  whole 
field  of  those  mental  processes  by  the  activity  of  which  belief 
is  attained.  Faith  demands  the  consecration  of  the  whole  mind, 
the  concentration  of  the  affections  upon  a  given  idea  or  upon  a 
preconceived  object.  Faith  demands  and  implies  a  thorough 
control  of  the  emotions;  the  cooperation  of  the  spiritual  forces 
on  the  one  hand,  and  the  physical  forces  on  the  other.  The 
highest  known  development  of  faith  is  to  be  found  in  the  faith 
of  Christianity,  which  represents  the  most  all-inclusive,  the  most 
powerful  and  transcendent  mental  action,  moral  exercise,  and 
spiritual  force  known  to  man.  The  "  Faith  of  Jesus  "  is  a  super- 
natural power  —  a  divine  attribute,  and  must  not  be  confused 
with  our  discussions  of  faith  in  the  psychologic  sense. 

The  religions  of  modern  times  have  been  in  imminent  danger 
of  becoming  weak  and  effeminate.  The  world  to-day  needs 
more  of  the  militant  but  wisely  directed  spirit  of  the  early 
Christian  religion.  We  must  come  to  exercise  more  faith  and 
manifest  more  determination  in  the  pursuit  of  the  higher  and 
nobler  aims  of  life.  Faith  is  a  tremendous  motive  power  and 
when  it  once  dominates  the  soul,  it  is  able  to  harness  the  mind 
and  control  the  body;  it  is  able  to  combat  disease  and  relieve 
suffering ;  yes,  it  is  able  to  vanquish  sorrow  and  establish  peace. 

THE   RELIGIOUS   LIFE 

Why  is  the  religious  experience  of  so  many  thousands  of 
church  members  so  unsatisfactory?  Why  are  professed  Chris- 
tians so  downcast  and  discouraged  ?  Why  is  it  so  few  people  get 
happiness  and  joy  out  of  their  religion?  They  apparently  accept 
religion  with  a  whole  heart,  join  the  church,  and,  instead  of 
growing  more  and  more  joyful,  they  not  infrequently  become 


MENTAL  MEDICINE  AND  MORAL  HYGIENE  317 

more  and  more  sorrowful,  and  a  small  number  subsequently 
land  in  the  asylum,  leaving  behind  them  the  stigma  of  having 
"  gone  crazy  over  religion." 

While  the  author  would  not  undertake  fully  to  account  for 
this  condition  among  professed  Christians,  he  suspects  that 
many  of  these  people  have  embraced  theology  instead  of  accept- 
ing Christianity.  Many  of  these  unfortunate  devotees  of 
religion  are  trying  to  duplicate  in  their  lives  the  religious  ex- 
perience of  some  other  human  being  with  whom  they  are 
acquainted  or  about  whom  they  have  read.  Had  they  become 
like  little  children,  simply  accepting  the  teachings  of  the  Christ, 
they  would  have  found  an  abundant  entrance  into  the  three 
glorious  kingdoms:  the  kingdom  of  Heaven,  the  kingdom  of 
happiness,  and  the  kingdom  of  health.  Fear  unfailingly  leads 
its  victims  on  the  pathway  to  moral  defeat,  physical  suffering, 
and  sanctified  sorrow. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  religious  suggestion  is  far  more 
powerful  with  the  average  individual  than  secular  suggestion. 
Religious  suggestions  probably  carry  a  greater  force  because  of 
their  power  to  appeal  to  a  far  greater  group  of  psychic  powers 
and  spiritual  energies.  The  feelings  and  emotions  are  usually 
considerably  aroused  in  connection  with  religious  suggestion, 
and  it  is  well-known  that  suggestions  are  frequently  welded  on 
to  the  mind  in  exact  proportion  to  the  height  of  the  feelings  and 
the  intensity  of  the  emotions.  Not  that  one  cannot  secure  new 
ideas  without  feeling  or  emotion,  but  rather  that  feeling  and 
emotion  quickly  cause  the  new  idea  to  become  a  permanent  part 
of  the  old  mind. 

Of  course,  this  very  power  of  religious  emotion,  quickly  and 
completely  to  control  the  mind,  can  be  used  for  evil  as  well  as 
for  good;  as  for  instance,  the  cat-mewing  mania  that  ran 
through  France,  and  the  devil-chasing  fanaticism  connected  with 
the  early  history  of  Kentucky,  not  to  mention  the  witchcraft 
disgraces  of  Massachusetts.  We  cannot  expect  unusual  oppor- 
tunity for  good  in  religious  suggestion  without  facing  the 
possibilities  and  probabilities  of  superstitious  belief  and  fanat- 
ical conduct. 


3i8       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

SIN    AND    SICKNESS 

Wrongdoing  is  at  the  bottom  of  a  large  percentage  of  human 
sickness  and  suffering.  Immorality  is  the  real  cause  of  a  tre- 
mendous amount  of  modern  disease.  A  guilty  conscience 
predisposes  to  invalidism.  Fear  is  a  handmaiden  of  sin.  The 
transgressor  lives  in  momentary  dread  lest  his  sin  shall  find  him 
out.  Such  a  state  of  moral  uncertainty  and  mental  disquietude 
is  incompatible  Mrith  the  continued  enjoyment  of  a  high  degree 
of  physical  health.  Until  the  condemning  conscience  reaches 
that  point  v^^here  it  ceases  to  protest  against  wrongdoing,  it  is 
bound  to  derange  the  circulation,  disorder  the  digestion,  and 
disease  the  nerves. 

One  of  the  most  powerful  health-promoting  agencies  it  is 
possible  for  one  to  utilize,  is  nothing  more  or  less  than  "  a  con- 
science void  of  offence  toward  God  and  toward  men."  There 
are  two  great  disturbers  of  the  mental  peace  and  moral  happi- 
ness: worry  and  sin. 

It  is  true  that  sickness  is  often  the  cause  of  sin,  while  physical 
derangement  and  nervous  degeneracy  may  even  be  the  cause  of 
crime;  nevertheless,  in  a  far  greater  number  of  cases,  it  is  the 
sin  that  is  indirectly  responsible  for  the  sickness.  Physicians 
are  compelled  to  spend  much  of  their  time  in  repeatedly  helping 
men  and  women  out  of  physical  difficulties  which  are  wholly  pre- 
ventable, and  it  is  sometimes  exceedingly  discouraging,  this 
work  of  constantly  helping  people  out  of  the  pit  of  their  own 
digging;  lifting  them  out  of  the  mire  of  their  own  choosing. 

THE    MORAL   MASTERY 

The  so-called  moral  powers  are  capable  of  exerting  a  tre- 
mendous influence  in  the  control  of  both  mind  and  body.  When 
the  moral  mandates  are  reinforced  with  a  positive  will,  there  is 
absolutely  no  limit  to  their  far-reaching  influence  and  their 
great  power  for  good  in  the  regulation  of  mental  habits  and 
physical  practices. 

The  moral  mastery  of  the  individual  is  the  one  safeguard 
against  all  those  mental  tortures  and  physical  sufferings,  which 
so  certainly  come  from  conscious  sin  and  moral  depravity.  The 
moral  mastery  gives  birth  to  an  invincible  and  determined  spirit. 
The  spiritual  sovereignty  creates  a  sense  of  conscious  superi- 


MENTAL  MEDICINE  AND  MORAL  HYGIENE    319 

ority,  which  contribtates  much  to  the  mental  peace  and  physical 
health.  Spiritual  peace  and  moral  satisfaction  carry  with  them 
the  ability  to  ignore  trifling  worries  and  the  power  to  rise  above 
our  common  everyday  harassments. 

No  stronger  illustration  of  the  efficacy  of  the  moral  mastery 
in  the  psychic  and  physical  realms  can  be  cited  than  the  case  of 
the  habitual  drunkard,  the  dipsomaniac.  The  author  has  seen 
many  a  case  who  had  in  no  way  been  helped  by  treatment  in 
various  sanitariums  —  to  say  nothing  of  fraudulent  liquor  cures 
and  various  other  fakes  —  who  was  sobered  up  by  religious  en- 
thusiasm and  kept  sober  year  after  year  by  the  moral  mastery  of 
constant  faith.  In  fact,  in  the  opinion  of  the  author,  about  the 
only  sure  cure  to  be  recommended  for  dipsomania  is  religion- 
mania. 

SUMMARY  OF  THE  CHAPTER 

1.  In  most  diseases,  it  is  advisable  to  treat  the  whole  physical 
man  —  not  merely  to  combat  local  symptoms.  We  should  also 
recognize  the  necessity  of  treating  the  whole  man  —  the  psychic 
man  as  well  as  the  physical. 

2.  The  ancient  priests  of  religion  were  also  the  custodians  of 
the  physical  and  sanitary  welfare  of  the  people.  The  priest 
often  represented  the  highest  knowledge  and  skill  in  medicine 
as  well  as  theology. 

3.  The  early  history  of  medicine  is  bound  up  in  the  history  of 
religion.  Moral  and  material  medicine  travelled  together. 
Theology  and  therapeutics  were  finally  divorced  during  the  dark 
ages. 

4.  The  last  century  witnessed  the  absolute  separation  of  sci- 
ence and  religion,  and  both  preacher  and  doctor  made  the  fatal 
mistake  of  turning  away  from  the  principles  and  practice  of 
mental  medicine. 

5.  The  separation  of  medicine  and  theology  was  inevitable; 
the  theologians  directed  therapeutics  into  superstition,  while 
the  leading  spirits  in  medicine  became  so  materialistic  as  to 
threaten  the  foundations  of  religion. 

6.  The  Emmanuel  Movement  represents  a  modern  effort  to 
reunite  medicine  and  religion.  Criticisms  should  be  withheld. 
The  experiment  should  be  given  a  fair  trial.  Meanwhile,  let 
the  preachers  study  hygiene,  and  the  doctors  study  psychology. 


320       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

7.  It  is  a  great  mistake  that  medical  men  have  not  assumed 
the  leadership  in  this  great  movement  looking  towards  the  re- 
vival of  mental  medicine  and  the  development  of  moral 
therapeutics. 

8.  The  people  are  hungry  for  sympathy,  encouragement,  and 
guidance.  They  welcome  the  psychic  help  that  is  brought  in 
the  guise  of  various  cults  and  religions. 

9.  Faith  is  a  vital  energy.  It  is  "the  force  of  life."  Confi- 
dence is  the  touchstone  of  medicine.  Faith  demands  uncondi- 
tional surrender,  complete  consecration,  and  implicit  obedience, 
to  the  thing  believed. 

ID.  The  highest  known  development  and  exercise  of  faith  is 
found  in  Christianity,  which  represents  the  most  all-inclusive, 
powerful,  and  transcendent  mental  action  and  moral  exercise 
known  to  man. 

11.  The  religious  life  of  so  many  is  unsatisfactory  because 
they  are  trying  to  experience  theology  instead  of  Christianity; 
trying  to  duplicate  in  their  lives  the  religious  experiences  de- 
picted in  books. 

12.  Religious  suggestions  are  more  powerful  than  secular 
ones,  because  of  their  ability  to  appeal  to  a  more  extensive  group 
of  psychic  powers  and  spiritual  energies. 

13.  Immorality  is  indirectly  responsible  for  a  tremendous 
amount  of  human  disease.  Sin  and  sickness  often  sustain  the 
relation  to  each  other  of  cause  and  effect. 

14.  When  the  moral  mastery  of  the  mind  is  backed  up  by 
a  positive  will,  there  is  absolutely  no  limit  to  its  far-reaching 
influence  and  power  for  good  in  the  regulation  of  mental  habits 
and  physical  practices. 


CHAPTER   XXX 

THE  BIBLE  ON  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

Health  and  disease. —  The  bondage  of  fear. —  The  liberty 
OF  FAITH. —  Cheerfulness  as  a  therapeutic  agent. —  The 

CURSE   OF    ANGER. —  ThE   FUTILITY    OF    ANXIETY. —  The    FOLLY 

OF  WORRY. —  The  power  of  suggestion. —  The  assurance  of 

FAITH. —  The    MERRY    HEART. The    REWARD    OF    FAITH     AND 

THE     REWARD     OF     FEAR. —  ThE     TORMENT     OF     FEAR. FaITH 

essential  to  healing. material  aids  to  mental  belief. 

—  Divine  sustenance. —  The  spirit  of  fear. —  The  damna- 
tion OF  DOUBT. —  The  sword  of  fear. —  "  He  hath  borne  our 
GRIEFS."  —  The  blight  of  fear.-—  Comparative  summary  of 
THE  Bible  on  faith  and  fear. 

KNOWING  the  Bible  to  be  the  most  reliable  ancient  authority 
on  hygiene  and  sanitation,  after  long  experimentation  and 
research  along  the  lines  of  physiological  psychology  as  herein 
presented,  it  occurred  to  the  author  to  institute  a  systematic 
examination  of  the  English  Bible  to  ascertain  what  it  might 
contain  relative  to  mental  medicine,  faith  and  fear,  and  psy- 
chotherapy. Imagine  our  surprise,  when  this  examination  of  the 
Scriptures  was  completed,  to  find  that  practically  every  funda- 
mental and  essential  principle  respecting  the  physiology  and 
psychology  of  faith  and  fear  was  to  be  found  in  this  wonderful 
Book. 

The  mass  of  psychologic  material  gathered  from  this  ex- 
amination of  the  Scriptures  would  fill  a  volume  of  itself,  so  that 
in  this  chapter  we  are  able  to  give  but  an  outline  —  a  glimpse  — 
of  the  surprising  teachings  of  the  Old  Book  concerning  faith 
and  fear. 

HEALTH   AND  DISEASE 

Throughout  the  Scriptures,  God  is  pictured  as  a  Health  Giver, 
Joy  Giver,  and  as  an  Everpresent  Healer.    The  psalmist  says, 

321 


322       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

"God  ...  is  the  health  of  my  countenance."  (Ps.  XLII: 
II.)  Again,  the  psalm-writer  asks  that  the  divine  face  might 
shine  upon  us  to  the  end  "that  Thy  way  may  be  known  upon 
the  earth.  Thy  saving  health  among  all  nations."  (Ps.  LXVII : 
2.)  We  should  not  so  quickly  surrender  our  moral  courage  and 
mental  happiness  to  every  passing  influence  of  wind  and 
weather,  when  God  himself  is  the  very  health  of  our  counte- 
nance and  the  source  of  our  life  and  strength. 

As  Christ  stood  in  the  midst  of  the  people  teaching,  the 
Scriptures  declare  that  "  the  power  of  the  Lord  was  present  to 
heal  them."  (Luke  V:i7.)  The  Old  Testament  carries  the 
same  teaching,  for  in  speaking  of  instructing  the  children  of 
Ephraim  and  taking  them  in  His  arms,  it  further  says,  "  But 
they  knew  not  that  I  healed  them."  (Hosea  XI  :3.)  The 
wonderful  and  mysterious  arrangement  whereby  mental  health 
and  bodily  vigor  are  momentarily  maintained,  and  the  physical 
powers  constantly  renewed,  is  nothing  less  than  the  continuous 
ministry  of  the  healing  power  of  God. 

The  Apostle  John  in  writing  to  Gains  says :  "  Beloved,  I  wish 
above  all  things  that  thou  mayest  prosper  and  be  in  health, 
even  as  thy  soul  prospereth."  (Ill  John  2.)  The  prophet  Isa- 
iah fully  recognized  the  value  of  unselfishness  as  a  medical 
remedy  in  the  promotion  and  restoration  of  health,  for  he  writes 
in  condemnation  of  fasting,  affliction  of  soul,  going  around 
bowed  down  like  a  bulrush,  and  the  use  of  sackcloth  and  ashes ; 
while  he  bears  this  testimony  to  the  health-giving  efficacy  of 
whole-hearted  and  unselfish  ministry  to  our  needy  fellows :  "  Is 
not  this  the  fast  that  I  have  chosen?  to  loose  the  bands  of 
wickedness,  to  undo  the  heavy  burdens,  and  to  let  the  oppressed 
go  free,  and  that  ye  break  every  yoke?  Is  it  not  to  deal  thy 
bread  to  the  hungry,  and  that  thou  bring  the  poor  that  are  cast 
out  to  thy  house?  when  thou  seest  the  naked,  that  thou  cover 
him ;  and  that  thou  hide  not  thyself  from  thine  own  flesh  ?  Then 
shall  thy  light  break  forth  as  the  morning,  and  thine  health 
shall  spring  forth  speedily."     (Isa.  LVIII:6-8.) 

Concerning  the  cause  of  disease  and  the  source  of  affliction, 
the  Scriptures  certainly  do  not  recognize  human  suffering  as  a 
visitation  of  the  wrath  of  God.    The  Bible  does  not  recognize 


THE  BIBLE  ON  FAITH  AND  FEAR  323 

disease  as  a  "  mysterious  dispensation  of  Providence."  Even  so 
far  back  as  Job's  time,  his  friend  in  discussing  his  sufferings 
said :  "  Affliction  cometh  not  forth  of  the  dust,  neither  doth 
trouble  spring  out  of  the  ground."  (Job  V:6.)  The  wise  man 
gave  utterance  to  the  same  philosophy  respecting  the  cause  of 
disease  when  he  wrote :  "  The  curse  causeless  shall  not  come." 
(Prov.  XXVI  :2.) 

Elihu,  one  of  Job's  wise  friends,  said :  "  Touching  the  Al- 
mighty, we  cannot  find  Him  out :  He  is  excellent  in  power  and  in 
judgment,  and  in  plenty  of  justice:  He  will  not  afflict."  (Job 
XXXVn:23.)  Even  when  we  bring  the  penalty  of  trans- 
gression down  on  our  own  heads,  even  when  natural  law 
administers  the  harvest  of  affliction,  and  apparently  the  Law- 
giver is  engaged  in  the  process  of  punishing  and  chastening  the 
sinner,  Jeremiah  writes :  "  He  doth  not  afflict  willingly  nor 
grieve  the  children  of  men."     (Lam.  HI  133.) 

THE  BONDAGE  OF  FEAR 

Fear  is  everywhere  throughout  tte  Scriptures  recognized  as 
a  state  of  bondage.  The  prophet  Isaiah  speaks  of  fear  and  sor- 
row thus :  "  The  Lord  shall  give  thee  rest  from  thy  sorrow,  and 
from  thy  fear,  and  from  the  hard  bondage  wherein  thou  wast 
made  to  serve."     (Isa.  XIV 13. ) 

The  psalmist  looked  upon  fear  as  a  destroying  force,  for  he 
prayed,  "  Hear  my  voice,  O  God,  in  my  prayer :  preserve  my 
life  from  fear."  (Ps.  LXIV:i.)  David,  in  the  shepherd 
psalm,  voiced  his  deliverance  from  the  bondage  of  fear,  when 
he  sang,  "  Though  I  walk  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of 
death,  I  will  fear  no  evil."     (Ps.  XXIII 14.) 

"  Fear  not,"  is  the  perpetual  injunction  of  the  Scriptures  from 
Genesis  to  Revelation.  As  regards  the  service  of  Jehovah,  there 
is  a  gradual  and  progressive  growth  from  the  fear  of  early  Old 
Testament  times  to  the  sublime  faith  and  trust  of  the  times  of 
Jesus  —  New  Testament  times.  Even  Solomon  exhorted  the 
people  to  "be  not  afraid  of  sudden  fear."   (Prov.  111:25.) 

Even  in  Old  Testament  times  it  was  recognized  that  the  fear 
of  a  calamity  had  power  in  and  of  itself  to  assist  in  bringing 
the  dreaded  disaster  upon  those  who  feared  it,  for  did  not  the 
wise  man  say :  "  The  fear  of  the  wicked,  it  shall  come  upon 
him."    (Prov.  X:24.) 


324       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

The  New  Testament  abownds  with  joy  and  hope.  Christ,  in 
discussing  the  daily  need  of  food  and  raiment,  said :  "  Fear  ye 
not  therefore,  ye  are  of  more  value  than  many  sparrows." 
(Matt.  X:3i.)  At  another  time  He  reproved  His  disciples, 
asking,  "Why  are  ye  fearful,  O  ye  of  little  faith?"  (Matt. 
Vm:26.) 

THE  LIBERTY  OF  FAITH 

The  teachings  of  the  man  Christ  are  everywhere  permeated 
by  faith ;  faith  is  the  keynote  and  the  burden  of  His  message  of 
good  cheer  and  happiness.  It  was  the  Master  who  said,  "If  ye 
have  faith  as  a  grain  of  mustard  seed,  .  .  .  nothing  shall 
be  impossible  unto  you."     (Matt.  XVII  :20.) 

The  Apostle  Paul  declared  that  "  the  just  shall  live  by  faith." 
(Rom.  1:17.)  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  this  expression  did 
not  originate  with  the  apostle.  This  truth  had  been  uttered  six 
hundred  years  previous  to  Paul's  time  by  an  Old  Testament 
prophet,  who  rendered  it  all  the  more  personal  when  he  ex- 
pressed it  thus:  "  The  just  shall  live  by  his  faith."    (Hab.  II  :4.) 

Christ,  throughout  his  ministry  of  healing  and  restoration, 
seldom  failed  to  acknowledge  the  saving  power  of  the  patient's 
faith.  After  restoring  the  sight  of  the  blind  beggar,  Jesus  said 
unto  him,  "Thy  faith  hath  saved  thee."  (Luke  XVIII 142.) 
To  the  woman  who  was  healed  by  touching  the  hem  of  the 
Saviour's  garment,  Jesus  turned  and  said,  "  Daughter,  be  of 
good  comfort;  they  faith  hath  made  thee  whole."  (Matt. 
IX:22.) 

Paul  taught  that  "without  faith  it  is  impossible  to  please 
God."  (Heb.  XI  :6.)  He  exhorted  his  young  convert  Timo- 
thy to  "fight  the  good  fight  of  faith"  (I  Tim.  VI:i2),  while 
the  apostle  in  speaking  of  his  temporal  sojourn  on  earth  wrote: 
"  The  life  which  I  now  live  in  the  flesh  I  live  by  the  faith  of  the 
Son  of  God."     (Gal.  11:20.) 

The  Apostle  James,  after  admonishing  the  man  who  lacks 
wisdom  to  ask  of  God,  adds :  "  Let  him  ask  in  faith,  nothing 
wavering."  (Jas.  1:6.)  It  was  this  same  writer  who  declared 
that  "the  prayer  of  faith  shall  save  the  sick."     (Jas.  V:i5.) 

John,  the  beloved  disciple,  gave  expression  to  the  greatest 
and  grandest  truth  concerning  the  triumph  of  faith  over  fear. 


THE  BIBLE  ON  FAITH  AND  FEAR  325 

when  he  wrote,  "  This  is  the  victory  that  overcometh  the  world, 
even  our  faith."   (I  John  V:4.) 

The  Bible,  especially  the  New  Testament,  clearly  teaches  the 
same  fundamental  principles  respecting  the  harmfulness  of  fear 
and  the  helpfulness  of  faith,  that  we  have  discovered  in  all  our 
psychological  and  physiological  inquiries.  The  mental,  moral, 
and  material  natures  of  man  seem  to  be  governed  by  the  same 
essential  and  underlying  principles.  Faith  invigorates  and 
strengthens  mind,  soul,  and  body ;  while  fear  depresses,  diseases, 
and  ultimately  destroys  mind,  soul,  and  body.  This  is  the  con- 
clusion of  psychology,  physiology,  and  theology. 

CHEERFULNESS    AS    A   THERAPEUTIC    AGENT 

From  the  earliest  times,  cheerfulness  —  a  merry  heart  —  has 
been  recognized  as  possessing  positive  therapeutic  power.  Solo- 
mon must  have  understood  the  psychology  and  physiology  of 
faith  and  fear,  when  he  indited  the  following  passages: 

FEAR 

"  The  spirit  of  a  man  will  sus- 


FAITH 

"A  merry  heart  maketh  a 
cheerful  countenance:  but  by 
sorrow  of  the  heart  the  spirit  is 
broken."     (Frov.  XV:i3.) 

"  He  that  is  of  a  merry  heart 
hath  a  continual  feast."  (Prov. 
XV:iS.) 


tain  his  infirmity ;  but  a  wounded 
spirit,  who  can  bear?"  (Prov. 
XVIII  :i4.) 

"Be  not  hasty  in  thy  spirit  to 
be  angry:  for  anger  resteth  in 
the  bosom  of  fools."  (Eccl. 
VII  :9.) 

These  Scriptures  teach  the  same  important  truths  which  the 
study  of  physiological  psychology  emphasizes.  The  counte- 
nance is  dependent  on  the  mental  state,  while  sorrow  of  heart  — 
worry  —  breaks  the  spirit  —  destroys  courage  and  initiative. 
That  the  mind  can  uphold  the  body  in  the  presence  of  actual 
disease  and  physical  infirmity  is  clearly  taught  — "  The  spirit 
of  a  man  will  sustain  his  infirmity."  Cheerfulness  is  repre- 
sented as  the  psychic  source  of  "  a  continual  feast " ;  while  the 
anger  of  the  hasty  spirit  is  condemned  as  fit  for  a  lodgment  only 
in  "the  bosom  of  fools." 


326       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 


THE   CURSE  OF  ANGER 


FAITH 


"He  that  is  slow  to  anger  is 
better  than  the  mighty;  and  he 
that  ruleth  his  spirit  than  he  that 
taketh  a  city."     (Prov.  XVI  :32.) 


FEAR 


"  He  that  is  slow  to  wrath  is  of 
great  understanding;  but  he  that 
is  hasty  of  spirit  exalteth  folly." 
(Prov.  XIV :29.) 


In  these  passages  we  have  depicted  the  weakness  and  folly  of 
giving  vent  to  temper.  The  psychic  power  which  will  enable 
one  to  control  anger  is  praised  as  better  than  physical  might; 
while  the  ability  to  rule  one's  own  spirit  is  placed  above  the 
power  to  lead  men  in  the  storm  of  battle  on  to  the  victorious 
capture  of  a  city.  The  wise  are  slow  to  wrath,  while  every 
time  one  loses  one's  temper,  every  time  one  is  "  hasty  of  spirit," 
one  is  simply  making  a  public  exhibition  of  his  weakness  of 
character  and  lack  of  self-control,  simply  exalting  his  folly. 

THE  FUTILITY  OF  ANXIETY 

At  every  step,  the  writers  of  the  Bible  have  warned  humanity 
concerning  the  waste  and  worry  of  useless  and  needless  anxiety. 
In  both  the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  we  are  repeatedly  ad- 
monished to  cast  "  all  your  care  upon  Him ;  for  he  careth  for 
you."  (I  Peter  V:7.)  Jesus  taught  His  disciples,  saying: 
"  Take  no  thought  for  your  life,  what  ye  shall  eat,  or  what  ye 
shall  drink;  nor  yet  for  your  body,  what  ye  shall  put  on.  Is 
not  the  life  more  than  meat,  and  the  body  than  raiment?" 
(Matt.  VI:25.)  The  teachings  of  Christ  concerning  the 
futility  of  anxiety  can,  perhaps,  best  be  shown  by  a  parallel 
comparison  of  the  following  two  passages: 

FEAR    AND    ANXIETY 

"  But  Martha  was  cumbered 
about  much  serving,  and  came 
to  Him  and  said,  Lord,  dost  thou 
not  care  that  my  sister  hath  left 
me  to  serve  alone?  Bid  her 
therefore,  that  she  help  me.  And 
Jesus  answered  and  said  unto 
her,  Martha,  Martha,  thou  art 
careful  and  troubled  about  many 
things:   but  one  thing  is   need- 


FAITH    AND   TRUST 

"Which  of  you  by  taking 
thought  can  add  one  cubit  unto 
his  stature?  .  .  .  Therefore, 
take  no  thought,  saying.  What 
shall  we  eat?  or,  What  shall  we 
drink?  or,  Wherewithal  shall  we 
be  clothed?  ...  for  your 
Heavenly  Father  knoweth  that 
ye  have  need  of  all  these  things. 
.    .    .   Take  therefore  no  thought 


THE  BIBLE  ON  FAITH  AND  FEAR 


327 


FAITH    AND  TRUST  FEAR  AND  ANXIETY 

for  the   morrow:   for  the  mor-  ful;  and  Mary  hath  chosen  that 

row  shall   take  thought  for  the  good   part,    which    shall   not  be 

things  of  itself.     Sufficient  unto  taken  away  from   her."      (Luke 

the    day    is    the    evil    thereof."  X:40-42.) 
(Matt.  VI:27,  31,  32,  34.) 

THE  FOLLY  OF  WORRY 

The  theology  of  past  ages,  with  its  burdens,  its  sorrows,  and 
its  gloom,  was  certainly  not  the  religion  of  the  Christ,  who  de- 
clared :  "  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden, 
and  I  will  give  you  rest.  Take  my  yoke  upon  you,  and  learn  of 
me;  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart;  and  ye  shall  find  rest 
unto  your  souls."     (Matt.  Xr.28,  29.) 

Professed  Christians  going  around  all  bowed  down  like  a 
bulrush  are  a  libel  on  the  teachings  of  Christ.  If  modern 
Christians  in  their  own  lives  had  done  more  to  recommend 
Christianity  to  the  people,  there  would  never  have  arisen  the 
opportunity  for  shrewd  and  designing  adventurers  to  steal  the 
very  heart  and  essense  of  the  psychology  of  Christ's  teachings 
and  herald  it  to  the  world  as  a  newly  discovered  religion  — 
New  Thought,  and  whatnot. 

The  Christian  philosophy  concerning  worry  is  very  well  rep- 
resented in  the  two  following  texts: 


WORRY 

"But  Jesus  said  unto  him. 
Follow  me ;  and  let  the  dead  bury 
their  dead."     (Matt.  VIII  :22.) 


CONFIDENCE 

"Be  careful  for  nothing;  but 
in  everything  by  prayer  and  sup- 
plication with  thanksgiving  let 
your  requests  be  made  known 
unto  God."    (Phil.  IV  :6.) 

THE  POWER  OF  SUGGESTION 

Both  the  Old  and  the  New  Testaments  abound  in  passages 
which  recognize  the  power  and  possibilities  of  positive  thought. 
The  writers  of  those  books  clearly  recognized  the  force  of  sug- 
gestion. Note  the  two  following  passages,  one  from  the  Old, 
one  from  the  New  Testament : 

MORAL  SUGGESTION 

"  Finally,       brethren. 


what- 
soever things  are  true,  whatso- 
ever  things    are   honest,    what- 


MATERIAL    SUGGESTION 

"And  Jacob  took  him  rods  of 
green  poplar,  and  of  hazel  and 
chestnut  tree;   and  pilled  white 


328       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 


soever  things  are  just,  whatso- 
ever things  are  pure,  whatsoever 
things  are  lovely,  whatsoever 
things  are  of  good  report;  if 
there  be  any  virtue,  and  if  there 
be  any  praise,  think  on  these 
things."     (Phil.  IV :8.) 


strakes  in  them.  .  .  .  And  he 
set  the  rods  which  he  had  pilled 
before  the  flocks  in  the  gutters 
in  the  watering-troughs  when 
the  flocks  came  to  drink.  .  .  . 
and  the  flocks  conceived  before 
the  rods,  and  brought  forth  cat- 
tle ring-straked,  speckled,  and 
spotted."  (Gen.  XXX:37-39.) 
Paul  in  his  exhortation  to  the  Philippians  certainly  outlined 
very  efifectively  the  power  of  good  suggestion  —  auto-suggestion ; 
while  this  passage  from  Genesis  is  a  striking  illustration  of  the 
antiquity  of  the  knowledge  of  suggestion  in  the  realm  of  pre- 
natal influence.  Jacob  had  been  promised  all  the  cattle  which 
should  be  born  ring-streaked,  spotted,  and  speckled,  and  he  re- 
sorted to  the  principle  of  suggestion,  to  enrich  his  flocks.  It  is 
further  recorded  that  he  only  subjected  the  strong  and  robust 
cattle  of  the  flocks  to  this  experiment,  and  when  it  proved  suc- 
cessful, it  appears  that  Jacob  not  only  had  the  larger,  but  also 
the  stronger  herd. 

THE    ASSURANCE    OF    FAITH 


FAITH 

"  Now  faith  is  the  assurance 
of  things  hoped  for,  the  proving 
of  things  not  seen."  (Heb. 
XI:  I,  Rev.  Ver.) 

"But  godliness  with  content- 
ment is  great  gain."  (I  Tim. 
VI  :6.) 


FEAR 

"And  deliver  them  who 
through  fear  of  death  were  all 
their  lifetime  subject  to  bond- 
age."    (Heb.  II:i5.) 

"  Heaviness  in  the  heart  of 
man  maketh  it  stoop ;  but  a  good 
word  maketh  it  glad."  (Prov. 
XII  :2S.) 

Faith  imparts  assurance  and  contentment  to  all  who  are  ex- 
ercised thereby.  Many  are  the  fears  which  torment  humanity, 
but  the  greatest  of  these  fears  is  probably  the  fear  of  death  —  a 
fear  that  renders  life  itself  one  long  and  wearisome  bondage. 
No  experiment  or  observation  in  psychology  will  ever  more 
fully  define  the  province  of  faith  and  the  punishments  of  fear 
than  these  Biblical  passages.  Thus,  the  oldest  of  literature 
affords  us  an  exceptional  glimpse  into  the  thorough-going  and 
practical  understanding  which  the  ancients  had  of  faith  and 
fear. 


THE  BIBLE  ON  FAITH  AND  FEAR 


329 


THE    MERRY    HEART 

All  through  the  Bible  there  runs  the  recognition  of  the  great 
fact  that  a  happy  frame  of  mind  reacts  favorably  upon  the 
physical  body.  Almost  every  sacred  writer  has  touched  upon 
this  vital  psychological  fact.  Sorrow  of  heart  is  set  down  as 
the  cause  of  a  sad  countenance,  while  the  cares  of  life  are  repre- 
sented as  effectually  smothering  the  spiritual  life.  The 
therapeutic  value  of  merriness  is  clearly  set  forth  in  the  follow- 
ing passages: 

MERRINESS  HEAVINESS 


"A  merry  heart  doeth  good 
like  a  medicine;  but  a  broken 
spirit  drieth  the  bones."  (Pro v. 
XVII  :22.) 


"  Wherefore  the  king  said  unto 
me,  Why  is  thy  countenance  sad, 
seeing  thou  art  not  sick?  This 
is  nothing  else  but  sorrow  of 
heart."     (Neh.  11:2.) 

"  Say  to  them  that  are  of  a 
fearful  heart,  Be  strong,  fear 
not."     (Isa.  XXXV  :4.) 

"The  care  of  this  world,  and 
the  deceitfulness  of  riches,  choke 
the  word."     (Matt.  XIII  :22.) 


"  Casting  all  your  care  upon 
Him;  for  He  careth  for  you." 
(I  Peter  V:;.) 

"And  He  said  unto  her, 
Daughter,  be  of  good  comfort: 
thy  faith  hath  made  thee  whole; 
go  in  peace."     (Luke  VIII  :48.) 

There  is  an  interesting  physiological  hint  in  the  statement 
that  "a  broken  spirit  drieth  the  bones."  It  should  be  recalled 
that  the  marrow  of  the  long  bones  is  probably  concerned  in  the 
blood-making  process ;  and  it  is  certainly  and  emphatically  true 
that  sorrow  and  sadness  literally  dry  up  the  fountains  of  blood- 
making,  and  sooner  or  later  result  in  deteriorating  the  blood 
stream. 

THE  REWARD  OF  FAITH  AND  THE  REWARD  OF  FEAR 


FEAR 

"  For  the  thing  which  I  greatly 
feared  is  come  upon  me,  and 
that  which  I  was  afraid  of  is 
come  unto  me."     (Job  111:2$.) 


FAITH 

"  And  He  said  unto  her. 
Daughter,  thy  faith  hath  made 
thee  whole;  go  in  peace,  and  be 
whole  of  thy  plague."  (Mark 
V:34.) 

It  matters  not  whether  we  are  dealing  with  a  miraculous 
occurrence  or  an  ordinary  case  of  recovery  from  disease  by 
so-called  natural  processes,  faith  is  the  one  grand  essential  to 
wholeness  —  to  health  and  happiness.    To-day,  the  Great  Spirit 


330       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

of  life  and  health  hovers  over  humanity  with  healing  in  His 
wings  for  all  who  will  believe,  all  who  will  exercise  that  mar- 
vellous power  of  the  mind  —  faith. 

This  passage  from  Job  is  certainly  of  more  than  passing  im- 
port. Job,  in  his  extraordinary  affliction,  says  that  he  had  long 
feared  that  just  such  a  thing  was  going  to  happen  unto  him.  He 
had  even  "  greatly  feared  "  that  such  calamities  would  overtake 
him.  This  is  a  clear  case  of  definite  mental  fear  which  long 
preceded  the  occurrence  of  the  physical  disease,  and  strongly 
suggests  that  Job  either  had  a  premonition  of  his  afflictions,  or 
that  his  constant  worry  and  fear  might  have  contributed  some- 
thing toward  the  causation  of  the  particular  and  peculiar 
maladies  which  encompassed  him.  The  people  of  olden  times 
undoubtedly  recognized  the  power  of  adverse  suggestion  as  a 
cause  of  disease  —  as  a  forerunner  of  disaster  and  calamity. 

THE  TORMENT   OF  FEAR 

"  There  is  no  fear  in  love ;  but  perfect  love  casteth  out  fear : 
because  fear  hath  torment.  He  that  feareth  is  not  made  perfect 
in  love."  (I  John  IV:i8.)  This  contains  a  strong  hint  to  all 
victims  of  fear  and  worry  that  they  might  derive  great  benefit 
by  falling  in  love  with  something  —  say,  humanity  —  and  find 
deliverance  from  the  torment  of  fear  in  the  loving  ministry  of 
cheerfulness  and  helpfulness  to  our  less  fortunate  fellows.  Un- 
selfishness is  unquestionably  the  essential  link  in  the  perfection 
of  fearlessness,  for  "  he  that  feareth  is  not  made  perfect  in 
love." 

"  But  the  wicked  are  like  the  troubled  sea,  when  it  cannot 
rest,  whose  waters  cast  up  mire  and  dirt.  There  is  no  peace, 
saith  my  God,  to  the  wicked."     (Isa.  LVH:  20,  21.) 

FAITH    ESSENTIAL   TO    HEALING 

"  And  Jesus  said  unto  him.  Go  thy  way ;  they  faith  hath  made 
thee  whole.  And  immediately  he  received  his  sight."  (Mark 
X:52.)  "  And  He  could  there  do  no  mighty  work,  save  that  He 
laid  His  hands  upon  a  few  sick  folk,  and  healed  them.  And  He 
marvelled  because  of  their  unbelief."     (Mark  VI 15,  6.) 

It  seems  that  Christ  was  limited  in  His  work  of  healing  by  the 
degree  of  faith  which  the  people  exercised.  When  the  faith  of 
the  people  was  strong.  His  works  of  healing  were  great  and 
marvellous;  but  when  the  people  were  filled  with  unbelief,  it 


THE  BIBLE  ON  FAITH  AND  FEAR  331 

is  recorded  that  "  He  could  there  do  no  mighty  work.''  In  all 
His  work,  Christ  seemed  to  operate  upon  the  oft-repeated  plan 
of  "  according  to  your  faith,  be  it  unto  you." 

MATERIAL  AIDS  TO  MENTAL  BELIEF 

The  fanatical  followers  of  numerous  healing  cults  are  often 
very  careful  that  no  material  ministration  shall  be  given  to  the 
subjects  who  are  under  mental  treatment.  It  is  evident  that 
Jesus  did  not  take  this  view  of  the  matter,  for  in  His  miraculous 
restoration  of  sight  to  the  blind  man,  He  made  use  of  material 
means  to  appeal  to  the  sightless  sufferer,  and  further  to 
strengthen  his  faith  We  read:  "When  He  had  thus  spoken, 
He  spat  on  the  ground,  and  made  clay  of  the  spittle,  and  He 
anointed  the  eyes  of  the  blind  man  with  the  clay."  (John 
IX  :6.)  The  prophet  Isaiah,  after  he  had  prayed  for  the  healing 
of  King  Hezekiah,  instructed  that  a  fig  poultice  should  be  put 
on  his  abscess.     (See  Isa.  XXXVIII  :2i.) 

If  anything  can  improve  the  quality  of  one's  faith,  it  would 
seem  that  the  Scriptures  sanction  its  use.  The  degree  of  faith, 
plus  the  intelligent  choice  of  means,  seems  to  be  the  only  limita- 
tion placed  upon  the  wonderful  things  which  sincere  belief  can 
accomplish.  We  read  further:  "Jesus  said  unto  him.  If  thou 
canst  believe,  all  things  are  possible  to  him  that  believeth.  And 
straightway  the  father  of  the  child  cried  out,  and  said  with  tears, 
Lord,  I  believe;  help  thou  mine  unbelief."     (Mark  IX:23,  24.) 

DIVINE  SUSTENANCE 

"  Cast  thy  burden  upon  the  Lord,  and  He  shall  sustain  thee." 
(Ps.  LV:22.)  Thousands  of  unfortunate  downcast  and  grief- 
ridden  souls  could  instantly  find  relief  and  deliverance  from  their 
life-long  bondage  of  burden-bearing,  by  simply  unloading  their 
life-sorrows  —  casting  their  burdens  upon  the  Lord.  It  should 
be  remembered  that  the  Everlasting  Arms  are  underneath  us, 
and  that  it  is  no  greater  task  for  the  Almighty  to  sustain  His 
children  while  they  rest  on  top  of  their  burdens  than  it  is  to 
support  them  while  they  groan  underneath  this  weight  of  fear 
and  sorrow.  The  Lord  has  to  carry  it  anyway,  so  why  not  re- 
joice and  be  happy  in  the  liberty  which  comes  from  the  knowl- 
edge that  our  burdens  are  all  underneath  and  not  overhead? 

Again,  the  psalmist  says :  "  Commit  thy  way  unto  the  Lord ; 


332       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

trust   also   in    Him;    and   He   shall   bring   it   to   pass."     (Ps. 
XXXVHis.) 

THE    SPIRIT    OF    FEAR 

"  For  God  hath  not  given  us  the  spirit  of  fear ;  but  of  power, 
and  of  love,  and  of  a  sound  mind."  (H  Tim.  1:7.)  What  a 
change  would  come  over  the  professed  Christian  world  if  this 
text  were  really  believed  and  received  into  the  hearts  of  so-called 
Christians !  The  vast  majority  of  Christians  who  are  sincere 
and  earnest  in  their  religious  experience  are  more  or  less  dom- 
inated by  fear  and  cursed  with  worry.  They  are  filled  with  fear 
and  devoid  of  power  —  the  very  power  which  Paul  declares 
God  has  given  His  children,  along  with  love  and  a  sound  mind. 

In  writing  to  the  Romans,  the  apostle  again  emphasizes  this 
great  truth  of  mental  liberty,  saying :  "  For  ye  have  not  re- 
ceived the  spirit  of  bondage  again  to  fear ;  but  ye  have  received 
the  spirit  of  adoption."     (Rom.  VIH  :i5.) 

The  psalmist  further  suggests  the  value  of  religion  as  a  de- 
liverer from  fear,  saying :  "  I  sought  the  Lord,  and  He  heard 
me,  and  delivered  me  from  all  my  fears."     (Ps.  XXXIV 14.) 

There  can  be  little  doubt  that  in  the  battle  against  fear,  re- 
ligious faith  is  the  master  weapon,  even  as  Paul  wrote: 
"  Above  all,  taking  the  shield  of  faith,  wherewith  ye  shall  be  able 
to  quench  all  the  fiery  darts  of  the  wicked."     (Eph.  VI:i6.) 

THE   DAMNATION   OF  DOUBT 

It  is  in  every  sense  true  that  all  is  eventually  lost,  if  we  doubt. 
Faith  is  essential  to  success  in  every  avenue  of  experience  and 
every  department  of  life.  Paul,  in  writing  of  both  the  sacra- 
mental service  and  the  common,  everyday  table  service,  recog- 
nizes the  necessity  of  faith,  the  value  of  a  clear  conscience  and 
gladness  of  heart ;  he  says :  "  If  any  of  them  that  believe  not 
bid  you  to  a  feast,  and  ye  be  disposed  to  go;  whatsoever  is  set 
before  you,  eat,  asking  no  questions  for  conscience'  sake." 
(I  Cor.  X:27.)  It  may  be  added  that  Paul  did  not  say  that  we 
might  not  ask  some  questions  for  the  stomach's  sake. 

Again,  the  apostle  writes :  "  And  he  that  doubteth  is  damned 
if  he  eat,  because  he  eateth  not  of  faith :  for  whatsoever  is  not 
of  faith  is  sin."  (Rom.  XIV  :23.)  And  this  is  just  as  true  in 
a  physical  sense  as  it  is  in  its  spiritual  application.    In  previous 


THE  BIBLE  ON  FAITH  AND  FEAR  333 

chapters,  we  have  clearly  shown  that  doubts  and  fears  culminate 
in  dyspepsia.  Faith  in  the  food  and  the  digestion  is  absolutely 
essential  to  nutrition  and  good  health. 

THE  SWORD  OF  FEAR 

"  Then  it  shall  come  to  pass  that  the  sword,  which  ye  feared, 
shall  overtake  you  there  in  the  land  of  Egypt;  and  the  famine, 
whereof  ye  were  afraid,  shall  follow  close  after  you."  (Jer. 
XLII:i6.)  From  the  remotest  times,  it  has  been  the  accepted 
belief  that  mankind  usually  reaped  a  harvest  of  their  mate- 
rialized fears  —  that  sooner  or  later  the  sword  of  fear  strikes 
down  its  victims. 

The  debilitating  dangers  of  fear  were  so  well  known  and  so 
generally  recognized  that  faint-hearted  warriors  were  not 
allowed  to  enter  into  battle  engagements.  We  read :  "  What 
man  is  there  that  is  fearful  and  faint-hearted  ?  Let  him  go  and 
return  unto  his  house,  lest  his  brethren's  heart  faint  as  well." 
(Deut.  XX:8.) 

"  Fear  thou  not ;  for  I  am  with  thee :  be  not  dismayed ;  for  I 
am  thy  God :  I  will  strengthen  thee ;  yea  I  will  help  thee ;  yea  I 
will  uphold  thee."     (Isa.  XLI:io.) 

"  HE   HATH   BORNE  OUR   GRIEFS  " 

The  psalmist  in  describing  the  natural  course  of  life  in  this 
world  says  that  it  is  spent  in  grieving  and  sighing;  while  the 
prophet  pictures  the  world's  Saviour  as  One  who  bears  our 
griefs  and  carries  our  sorrows.  Compare  and  contrast  the  fol- 
lowing passages  with  reference  to  faith  and  fear. 


FAITH 


"  Surely  He  hath  borne  our 
griefs,  and  carried  our  sorrows." 
(Isa.  LIII:4.) 


FEAR 


"For  my  life  is  spent  with 
grief,  and  my  years  with  sigh- 
ing; my  strength  faileth."  (Ps. 
XXXI  :io.) 

THE    BLIGHT    OF    FEAR 

"  Our  flesh  had  no  rest,  but  we  were  troubled  on  every  side ; 
without  were  fightings,  within  were  fears."  (II  Cor.  VII 15.) 
Fear  is  able  continuously  to  harass  both  soul  and  body ;  neither 
mind  nor  flesh  can  gain  rest.  Fear  is  an  everlasting  tormentor 
and  troubler. 

The  psalmist  offers  good  advice  to  all  who  fret  and  fume, 
when  he  admonishes  us  to   "  Cease   from  anger,  and  forsake 


334       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

wrath;    fret    not    thyself    in    any    wise    to    do    evil/'       (Ps. 
XXXVII  :8.) 

The  only  deliverance  from  fear  thought  is  faith  thought. 
At  every  turn  Christ  gave  expression  to  this  great  truth.  He 
constantly  exalted  faith  as  the  great  deliverer  from  physical 
bondage  and  mental  torture.  "  And  He  said  to  the  woman, 
thy  faith  hath  saved  thee;  go  in  peace."  (Luke  VII :5o.) 
"  Then  touched  He  their  eyes,  saying,  According  to  your  faith 
be  it  unto  you."     (Matt.  1X129.) 

The  Christian  philosophy  throughout  is  built  upon  faith  — 
upon  the  principle  that  by  beholding  we  become  changed. 
(II  Cor.  III:i8.)  Accordingly,  the  believer  is  admonished 
ever  to  look  "  unto  Jesus  the  Author  and  Finisher  of  our  faith." 
(Heb.  XII  :2.) 

The  Christian  religion  is  based  upon  a  process  of  reckoning 
yourself  to  be  something  you  are  not  —  but  something  you 
desire  to  be  —  and  by  faith  in  Christ,  eventually  you  will 
actually  grow  into  the  likeness  of  the  thing  you  reckoned  and 
believed  yourself  to  be  —  a  child  of  God. 

And  so  we  come  to  recognize  that  the  physiological  facts  and 
psychological  principles  herein  set  forth  are  far  from  being 
new  and  novel  —  they  are  as  old  as  the  experience  of  the  human 
race.  The  Gospel  of  faith  is  the  very  power  and  essence  of 
the  Great  Religion. 
Comparative  Summary  of  the  Bible  on  Faith  and  Fear 


FAITH 

1.  "A  merry  heart  maketh  a 
cheerful  countenance  :  but  by  sor- 
row of  the  heart  the  spirit  is 
broken."     (Prov.  XV:  13.) 

2.  "He  that  is  slow  to  anger 
is  better  than  the  mighty:  and 
he  that  ruleth  his  spirit  than  he 
that  taketh  a  city."  (Prov. 
XVI  :32.) 

3.  "He  that  is  of  a  merry 
heart  hath  a  continual  feast." 
(Prov.  XV:i5.) 


FEAR 

1.  "The  spirit  of  a  man  will 
sustain  his  infirmity;  but  a 
wounded  spirit  who  can  bear?" 
(Prov.  XVIII  :i4.) 

2.  "He  that  is  slow  to  wrath 
is  of  great  understanding;  but 
he  that  is  hasty  of  spirit  exalteth 
folly."     (Prov.  XIV :29.) 

3.  "  Be  not  hasty  in  thy  spirit 
to  be  angry :  for  anger  resteth  in 
the    bosom    of    fools."      (Eccl. 

vn:o.) 


THE  BIBLE  ON  FAITH  AND  FEAR 


335 


FAITH 

4.  "Which  of  you  by  taking 
thought  can  add  one  cubit  unto 
his  stature?  .  .  .  Therefore 
take  no  thought,  saying,  What 
shall  we  eat?  or,  What  shall  we 
drink?  or.  Wherewithal  shall  we 
be  clothed?  .  .  .  For  your 
Heavenly  Father  knoweth  that 
ye  have  need  of  all  these  things. 
.  .  .  Take,  therefore,  no 
thought  for  the  morrow :  for  the 
morrow  shall  take  thought  for 
the  things  of  itself.  Sufficient 
unto  the  day  is  the  evil  thereof." 
(Matt.  VI:27,  31,  32,  34.) 

5.  "  Be  careful  for  nothing : 
but  in  everything  by  prayer  and 
supplication  with  thanksgiving 
let  your  requests  be  made  known 
unto  God."     (Phil.  IV  :6.) 

6.  "  Finally,  brethren,  whatso- 
ever things  are  true,  whatsoever 
things  are  honest,  whatsoever 
things  are  just,  whatsoever  things 
are  pure,  whatsoever  things  are 
lovely,  whatsoever  things  are  of 
good  report;  if  there  be  any 
virtue,  and  if  there  be  any  praise, 
think  on  these  things."  (Phil. 
IV  :8.) 


7.  "  Now  faith  is  the  assurance 
of  things  hoped  for,  the  proving 
of  things  not  seen."  (Heb. 
XI: I,  Rev.  Ver.) 

8.  "  But  godliness  with  con- 
tentment is  great  gain."  (I  Tim. 
VI  :6.) 


FEAR 

4.  "  But  Martha  was  cum- 
bered about  much  serving,  and 
came  to  Him  and  said.  Lord, 
dost  thou  not  care  that  my  sis- 
ter hath  left  me  to  serve  alone? 
Bid  her,  therefore,  that  she  help 
me.  And  Jesus  answered  and 
said  unto  her,  Martha,  Martha, 
thou  art  careful  and  troubled 
about  many  things :  but  one  thing 
is  needful;  and  Mary  hath 
chosen  that  good  part,  which 
shall  not  be  taken  away  from 
her."     (Luke  X:40-42.) 

5.  "  But  Jesus  said  unto  him, 
Follow  me;  and  let  the  dead 
bury  their  dead."  (Matt.  VIII: 
22.) 

6.  "And  Jacob  took  him  rods 
of  green  poplar,  and  of  the  hazel 
and  chestnut  tree;  and  pilled 
white  strakes  in  them.  .  .  . 
And  he  set  the  rods  which  he 
had  pilled  before  the  flocks  in 
the  gutters  in  the  watering- 
troughs  when  the  flocks  came  to 
drink.  .  .  .  And  the  flocks 
conceived  before  the  rods,  and 
brought  forth  cattle  ring-straked, 
speckled,    and    spotted."      (Gen. 

XXX:37-39.) 

7.  "  And  deliver  them  who 
through  fear  of  death  were  all 
their  lifetime  subject  to  bond- 
age"    (Heb.  11:15.) 

8.  "  Heaviness  in  the  heart  of 
man  maketh  it  stoop :  but  a  good 
word  maketh  it  glad."  (Prov. 
XII  :25.) 


336       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 


FAITH 

9.  "  A  merry  heart  doeth  good 
like  a  medicine:  but  a  broken 
spirit  drieth  the  bones."  (Prov. 
XVII  :22.) 

10.  "  Casting  all  your  care 
upon  Him;  for  He  careth  for 
you."     (I  Peter  V  7.) 

11.  "And  He  said  unto  her, 
Daughter,  be  of  good  comfort: 
thy  faith  hath  made  thee  whole; 
go  in  peace."     (Luke  VIII  :48.) 

12.  "  And  He  said  unto  her. 
Daughter,  thy  faith  hath  made 
thee  whole;  go  in  peace,  and  be 
whole   of   thy  plague."      (Mark 

V:34.) 

13.  "  There  is  no  fear  in  love ; 
but  perfect  love  casteth  out  fear : 
because  fear  hath  torment.  He 
that  feareth  is  not  made  perfect 
in  love."     (I  John  IV:i8.) 

14.  "  And  Jesus  said  unto  him. 
Go  thy  way ;  thy  faith  hath  made 
thee  whole.  And  immediately 
he  received  his  sight."  (Mark 
X:52.) 

15.  "Jesus  said  unto  him,  If 
thou  canst  believe,  all  things  are 
possible  to  him  that  believeth. 
And  straightway  the  father  of 
the  child  cried  out,  and  said  with 
tears,  Lord  I  believe;  help  thou 
mine  unbelief."  (Mark  IX:23, 
24.) 

16.  "  Commit  thy  way  unto  the 
Lord;  trust  also  in  Him;  and 
He  shall  bring  it  to  pass."  (Ps. 
YYVVTTc  ^ 


FEAR 

9.  "Wherefore  the  king  said 
unto  me,  Why  is  thy  countenance 
sad,  seeing  thou  are  not  sick? 
this  is  nothing  else  but  sorrow  of 
heart."     (Neh.  11:2.) 

10.  "  Say  to  them  that  are  of  a 
fearful  heart.  Be  strong,  fear 
not."     (Isa.  XXXV  :4.) 

11.  "The  care  of  this  world, 
and  the  deceitfulness  of  riches, 
choke  the  word,  and  he  becom- 
eth  unfruitful."   (Matt.  XIII  :22.) 

12.  "For  the  thing  which  I 
greatly  feared  is  come  upon  me, 
and  that  which  I  was  afraid  of 
is  come  unto  me."     (Job  III  .2$.) 

13.  "But  the  wicked  are  like 
the  troubled  sea,  when  it  cannot 
rest,  whose  waters  cast  up  mire 
and  dirt.  There  is  no  peace, 
saith  my  God,  to  the  wicked." 
(Isa.  LVII:2o,2i.) 

14.  "  And  He  could  there  do  no 
mighty  work,  save  that  He  laid 
His  hands  upon  a  few  sick  folk, 
and  healed  them.  And  He  mar- 
velled because  of  their  unbelief." 
(Mark  VI:  5,6.) 

15.  "  When  He  had  thus 
spoken,  He  spat  on  the  ground, 
and  made  clay  of  the  spittle,  and 
he  anointed  the  eyes  of  the  blind 
man  with  the  clay."  (John 
IX  :6.) 


16.  "  Cast  thy  burden  upon  the 
Lord,  and  He  shall  sustain  thee." 
(Ps.  LV:22.) 


THE  BIBLE  ON  FAITH  AND  FEAR 


337 


FAITH 

17.  "For  God  hath  not  given 
us  the  spirit  of  fear;  but  of 
power,   and   of   love,   and   of   a 

i       sound  mind."     (II  Tim.  1:7.) 

18.  "Above  all,  taking  the 
shield  of  faith,  wherewith  ye 
shall  be  able  to  quench  all  the 
fiery  darts  of  the  wicked."  (Eph. 
VI:i6.) 

19.  "If  any  of  them  that  be- 
lieve not  bid  you  to  a  feast,  and 
ye  be  disposed  to  go;  whatso- 
ever is  set  before  you,  eat,  ask- 
ing no  questions  for  conscience* 
sake."     (I  Cor.  X:27.) 

20.  "The  same  heard  Paul 
speak;   who    steadfastly  behold- 

t  ing  him,  and  perceiving  that  he 
had  faith  to  be  healed,  said  with 
a  loud  voice.  Stand  upright  on 
thy  feet.  And  he  leaped  and 
walked."     (Acts  XIV 19,  10.) 

21.  "Fear  thou  not;  for  I  am 
f       with  thee:  be  not  dismayed;  for 

I  am  thy  God:  I  will  strengthen 
thee;  yea,  I  will  help  thee;  yea, 
I  will  uphold  thee."  (Isa. 
XLI:io.) 

22.  "  Surely.  He  hath  borne  our 
griefs,  and  carried  our  sorrows." 
(Isa.  LIII:4.) 

23.  "And  He  said  to  the  wo- 
man, Thy  faith  hath  saved  thee; 
go  in  peace."     (Luke  VII  :50.) 

24.  "Then  touched  He  their 
eyes,  saying,  According  to  your 
faith  be  it  unto  you."  (Matt. 
IX:29.) 


FEAR 

17.  "  For  ye  have  not  received 
the  spirit  of  bondage  again  to 
fear;  but  ye  have  received  the 
spirit  of  adoption."  (Rom. 
Vin:i5.) 

18.  "I  sought  the  Lord,  and 
He  heard  me,  and  delivered  me 
from  all  my  fears."  (Ps. 
XXXIV  :4.) 

19.  "  And  he  that  doubteth  is 
damned  if  he  eat,  because  he 
eateth  not  of  faith:  for  whatso- 
ever is  not  of  faith  is  sin." 
(Rom.  XIV  :23.) 

20.  "Then  it  shall  come  to 
pass  that  the  sword,  which  ye 
feared,  shall  overtake  you  there 
in  the  land  of  Egypt;  and  the 
famine,  whereof  ye  were  afraid, 
shall  follow  close  after  you." 
(Jer.  XLII:i6.) 

21.  "  What  man  is  there  that 
is  fearful  and  faint-hearted? 
Let  him  go  and  return  unto  his 
house,  lest  his  brethren's  heart 
faint  as  well."     (Deut.  XX  :8.) 

22.  "  For  my  life  is  spent  with 
grief,  and  my  years  with  sigh- 
ing; my  strength  faileth."  (Ps. 
XXXI:  10.) 

23.  "  Cease  from  anger,  and 
forsake  wrath;  fret  not  thyself 
in  any  wise  to  do  evil."  (Ps. 
XXXVII  :8.) 

24.  "Our  flesh  had  no  rest, 
but  we  were  troubled  on  every 
side;  without  were  fightings, 
within  were  fears."  (II  Cor. 
VII  :5.) 


CHAPTER  XXXI 
THE  PHYSIOLOGY  AND  PSYCHOLOGY  OF  HABIT 

The  physiology  of  habit. —  The  psychology  of  habit. — 
The  economy  and  tyranny  of  habit. —  The  slavery  of 
OBSESSION. —  Psychic  obsessions. —  Motor  obsessions. — 
Vital  seepage. —  Energy  leakage. —  System  and  order. — 
Cool-headedness. —  The  nervous  rhythm  of  habit. — 
Can  the  habits  be  changed?  —  Summary  of  the  chapter. 

HABIT  represents  the  methodical  way  in  which  mind  and 
body  come  to  act  as  a  result  of  the  frequent  repetition 
of  a  certain  definite  set  of  nervous  impulses  and  muscular 
responses  thereto. 

Some  habits  are  instinctive;  that  is,  they  are  set  in  motion 
at  or  immediately  after  birth;  for  instance,  the  newborn  child 
is  possessed  of  the  sucking  instinct;  if  this  is  not  immediately 
exercised,  it  is  soon  partially  or  wholly  lost,  whereas  the  im- 
mediate performance  of  the  act  of  sucking  fixes  the  instinct. 

THE     physiology     OF     HABIT 

The  physiology  of  habit  is  explained  by  reference  to  the 
nervous  reflex  arc,  by  which  means  certain  sensory  nervous 
impressions  are  carried  to  the  various  nerve  centres,  where, 
after  a  time,  they  come  spontaneously  and  automatically  to 
produce  certain  definite  motor  responses.  (See  Fig.  2.) 
Nerve  paths,  as  it  were,  are  worn  deeper  and  deeper,  and 
this  causes  a  given  habit  to  become  more  and  more  deeply 
rooted.  Frequent  repetition  of  nervous  impulses  passing  over 
the  same  path  serves  to  wear  the  nervous  groove  deeper  and 
deeper,  just  as  the  frequent  walking  over  the  lawn  will  soon 
wear  a  deep  path  down  through  the  sod. 

The  period  of  infancy  is  the  special  time  for  starting  or 
initiating  mental  and  physical  habits.     The  longer  the  infancy 

338 


PHYSIOLOGY  AND  PSYCHOLOGY  OF  HABIT    339 

of  any  animal,  the  greater  the  range  and  possibility  for  the 
formation  of  numerous  habits  —  good  or  bad  —  which  will 
prove  either  of  great  help  or  hindrance  in  after  life.  It  is 
evident  that  not  all  our  habits  are  formed  in  infancy.  Habits 
may  be  formed  in  after  life ;  but  the  older  the  learner,  the  more 
difficult  it  is  either  to  form  or  reform  a  habit. 

All  our  established  habits  form  actual  and  literal  pathways 
through  the  nervous  mechanism  of  the  body.  Habits  have  a 
material  foundation,  and  no  habit  when  once  thoroughly  es- 
tablished can  be  changed  without  effecting  a  change  in  these 
nerve  paths  through  the  body,  as  a  result  of  placing  the  nerve 
centres  concerned  under  the  absolute  domination  of  an  ever- 
watchful  and  all-powerful  new  idea. 

When  we  yield  willingly  and  readily  to  the  impulse  to  do 
a  certain  thing,  the  next  time  that  same  impulse  is  expe- 
rienced, the  responsive  action  of  the  body  will  be  just  a  little 
more  quickly  and  easily  performed.  This  frequent  repetition 
establishes  what  the  physiologists  call  the  "path  of  motor  dis- 
charge"; and  when  a  nervous  path  becomes  well  established, 
we  have  laid  the  foundation  for  a  new  habit.  This  constitutes 
the  physiological   explanation  of  habit. 

It  is  highly  probable  that  in  the  early  formation  of  habits, 
the  discharge  of  motor  impulses  excited  by  sensory  impres- 
sions follows  the  path  of  least  resistance.  Just  as  the  small 
streamlets  from  a  cake  of  melting  ice  make  their  way  toward 
lower  levels  in  obedience  to  the  law  of  liquids,  wearing  a  larger 
and  larger  groove  as  the  volume  of  water  increases,  converting 
obstructions  and  obstacles  into  high  retaining  walls;  so, 
eventually,  the  stream  of  nervous  energy  is  compelled  to  flow 
in  the  deep  and  permanent  grooves  formed  by  its  own  long- 
continued  action. 

THE   PSYCHOLOGY   OF    HABIT 

Just  as  various  groups  of  nerve  cells  in  the  spinal  column 
and  the  lower  nerve  centres  get  into  the  way  of  working  to- 
gether (form  habits  of  cooperation,  in  other  words),  so  in 
the  case  of  the  nerve  cells  in  the  higher  brain  centres.  Va- 
rious sensory  and  conscious  nerve  impressions  come  to  be 
definitely    associated,    sooner    or    later,   with    the    activity   of 


340       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

certain  definite  groups  of  motor  brain  cells.  Certain  associated 
feelings  and  ideas  are  aroused  by  a  given  impulse,  and  by  the 
repetition  of  this  connection  a  mental  habit  is  formed,  which 
gradually  wears  down  for  itself  definite  material  grooves  in 
the  paths  of  the  brain. 

The  machinery  of  thought  rapidly  settles  into  the  ruts  and 
grooves  of  its  own  formation.  These  psychic  channels  are 
formed  in  the  early  periods  of  life,  and  it  is  quite  likely  that 
they  are  largely  established  by  the  time  a  man  reaches  thirty 
years  of  age.  Not  that  new  channels  of  thought  cannot  be 
formed,  and  new  associations  of  ideas  effected,  but,  after  this 
age,  the  mind  forms  new  methods  of  thought  and  action  with 
great  difficulty,  and  only  in  response  to  definite  mental  train- 
ing and  continuous  intellectual  activity. 

Our  psychic  habits  are  formed  also  by  the  care  or  attention 
we  pay  to  the  constant  stream  of  sensations  which  have  their 
origin  in  all  parts  of  the  body,  in  sense  impressions  which 
never  cease  to  recur  as  long  as  life  lasts.  Ordinarily,  the  vast 
majority  of  these  impressions  do  not  arouse  sensations  at  all. 
Normally,  furthermore,  the  majority  of  sensations  so  awak- 
ened have  at  most  but  a  fleeting  or  momentary  claim  upon  our 
attention.  Those  unfortunates  who  develop  the  habit  of  rec- 
ognizing all  these  sensory  reports  from  the  outlying  physical 
domains  of  the  body,  soon  degenerate  into  confirmed  neuras- 
thenics. The  old  lady  was  not  far  from  right  when  she 
advised  the  nervous  young  girl  to  keep  her  mind  off  her 
thoughts. 

THE    ECONOMY   AND   TYRANNY  OF    HABIT 

It  must  be  evident  that  the  formation  of  habits  is  a  source 
of  great  economy  to  both  mind  and  body.  It  should  also  be 
recognized  that  when  habits  are  misformed,  when  mind  and 
body  are  trained  in  unfortunate  and  unhealthy  modes  of 
thought  and  action,  that  the  results  upon  the  health,  happiness, 
and  character  may  be  highly  disastrous. 

Habit  is  a  sort  of  partnership  arrangement  entered  into  be- 
tween the  mind  and  the  body  for  the  purpose  of  accomplishing 
a  maximum  amount  of  work  with  a  minimum  expenditure  of 
mental  energy  and  physical  force.     If  habits  are  well  formed, 


PHYSIOLOGY  AND  PSYCHOLOGY  OF  HABIT    341 

intelligently  shaped,  and  properly  controlled,  they  become  the 
great  secret  of  mental  conservation  and  a  source  of  great 
physical  economy;  on  the  other  hand,  if  habits  are  misformed 
—  if  they  are  injurious  to  mind  and  body  —  after  they  once 
become  thoroughly  established,  they  may  enslave  and  rule  their 
subject  with  an  absolute  tyranny. 

When  vv^e  recognize  that  it  is  just  as  easy  to  form  a  good 
habit  as  a  bad  habit,  just  as  easy  to  acquire  helpful  habits  as 
those  which  are  injurious,  it  becomes  apparent  that  a  great 
responsibility  rests  upon  parents  and  teachers  to  see  to  it  that 
the  children  under  their  care  early  form  correct  and  proper 
habits  of  thinking  and  acting. 

THE   SLAVERY   OF  OBSESSION 

By  obsession  we  refer  to  those  constantly  recurring  ideas, 
feelings,  or  emotions  which  present  themselves  so  insistently 
and  automatically  in  our  consciousness,  and  which  always  lead 
to  the  performance  of  certain  useless  actions  or  the  thinking 
of  certain  foolish  thoughts.  These  needless  acts  and  thoughts 
are  ofttimes  injurious  to  peace  of  mind  and  health  of  body. 
Our  obsessions  are  not  useful,  and  they  are  otherwise  inhar- 
monious with  our  useful  mental  experience  and  modes  of 
acting;  they  are  troublesome  interlopers  which  have  chosen 
our  minds  and  bodies  as  their  regular  playground;  their  con- 
duct results  in  constantly  interfering  with  the  normal  work  of 
both  mind  and  body.  Mental  obsessions  are  probably  due  to 
a  mild  form  of  dissociation  of  ideas,  while  bodily  obsessions 
are  established  after  the  usual  methods  of  habit  formation. 

Psychic  obsessions.  The  inconsistent  notion  that  one  must 
always  be  right  has  spoiled  the  health  and  ruined  the  happiness 
of  thousands  of  people.  This  desire  is  born  of  an  unhealthful 
tendency  to  want  our  way,  to  become  the  pattern,  after  which 
all  others  must  shape  their  conduct.  This  leads  to  an  ever- 
lasting wrangle  with  one's  associates,  in  which  the  victim  of 
this  obsession  is  ever  contending  that  he  is  right  and  all  the 
world  is  wrong.  It  would  add  much  to  the  happiness  and 
health  of  some  of  these  obstinate  contenders  for  their  own  per- 
sonal infallibility  if  they  would  come  down  from  their  perch 
of  perfection  —  confess  their  humanity  —  admit  their  blunders 


342       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

—  actually  "  to  acknowledge  the  corn "  now  and  then.  The 
world  is  filled  with  unhappy  and  irritable  people  who  have 
never  been  known  to  confess  to  having  made  a  mistake  or  done 
wrong  in  all  their  lives. 

Others  live  in  constant  slavery  to  fashion,  to  the  fear  of 
man  and  the  conventional  way  of  doing  things.  The  author 
has  a  dear  friend  who  is  simply  killing  himself  with  the  ob- 
session that  he  must  carry  through  everything  that  he  under- 
takes —  at  any  cost.  His  life  is  devoted  to  "  carrying  things 
through  "  —  to  patching  up  his  evident  blunders  and  trying  to 
make  successful  his  repeated  failures. 

Others  are  obsessed  with  the  insane  notion  that  they  must 
set  other  people  right  —  the  notion  of  reforming  the  world. 
These  people  live  in  a  constant  state  of  worry  and  irritation 
because  their  petty  hobbies  do  not  gain  the  recognition  which 
they  think  their  schemes  deserve. 

Certain  sensitive  and  self-centred  nervous  people  get  the 
notion  into  their  heads  that  they  are  being  terribly  persecuted; 
they  fancy  themselves  living  a  life  of  perpetual  martyrdom. 
They  are  victims  of  constant  imaginary  sufferings  and  fictitious 
slights.  It  would  seem  that  some  of  them  really  learn  to  love 
this  life  of  the  false  martyr. 

We  are  acquainted  with  a  man  who  has  made  life  unbear- 
able for  himself  and  family  because  of  his  ever-present  obsess- 
ing ideas  that  he  must  accept  no  favors,  allow  no  one  to  assist 
him,  be  under  obligations  to  nobody;  and  these  ideas  have 
brought  him  almost  to  the  verge  of  a  form  of  insanity,  so  that 
he  is  a  persona  non  grata  in  all  circles. 

Motor  obsessions.  This  form  of  slavish  worry  has  suc- 
ceeded in  fastening  itself  on  the  nervous  system  and  the  daily 
behavior  of  most  of  us  in  some  form  or  other.  It  is  shown  in 
the  case  of  the  small  boy,  who,  while  going  downtown  on  an 
errand  for  his  mother,  easily  forgets  what  he  was  sent  to  the 
store  for,  but  in  no  wise  forgets  to  kick  every  hitching-post 
he  meets  on  the  way  downtown.  (See  Fig.  28.)  It  is  like- 
wise shown  in  the  case  of  the  man  who  tries  to  keep  from 
stepping  on  the  cracks  or  seams  of  the  sidewalk  on  his  way 
down   street.    The  awkward,   uneven  steps  of  such  an  indi- 


-    -  '    ■ 


COUNTING    THE  FIGURES    ON  WALL     PAPER 

FIG. 28.     COnnON     MOTOR    OBSESSIONS. 


PHYSIOLOGY  lAND  PSYCHOLOGY  OF  HABIT    343 

vidual  sometimes  are  sufficient  to  attract  the  attention  of  the 
passer-by.  The  author  once  followed  a  young  lady  for  four- 
teen blocks  and  observed  that  this  obsessed  soul  did  not  once 
permit  her  shoes  to  fall  upon  a  seam  in  the  cement  walk. 
(See  Fig.  28.) 

Have  you  not  known  the  man  who  could  not  put  his  hand 
in  his  pocket  without  continuously  counting  the  pieces  of 
money  contained  therein?  A  patient  recently  told  the  author 
that  he  could  not  enjoy  a  stroll  unless  he  had  a  bunch  of  money 
to  count  in  his  right-hand  trousers  pocket;  that  if  he  did  not 
have  any  loose  change  when  he  went  out  for  a  walk,  he  would 
have  to  go  and  get  some;  that  he  knew  just  how  many  pieces 
of  money  the  pocket  contained,  and,  if  on  any  single  count,  he 
failed  to  find  the  right  number,  he  would  often  have  to  stop 
dead  still  and  carefully  recount  the  coins  to  make  sure  that 
none  had  been  lost;  after  which  he  could  resume  his  walk. 

Another  case  of  obsession  is  that  of  the  person  who  cannot 
sit  in  a  public  auditorium  or  church  without  counting  the 
number  of  rings,  roses,  or  stripes  on  the  wall-paper,  usually 
trying  to  settle  on  the  centre  one  and  then  to  watch  it  with  an 
eagle  eye.  (See  Fig.  28.)  If  for  any  reason  the  attention  is 
distracted  from  this  centre  figure  and  it  is  momentarily  lost 
to  view,  the  whole  number  of  designs  must  be  counted  over 
again  and  the  centre  carefully  located. 

After  speaking  of  this  matter  in  a  Chautauqua  lecture  one 
afternoon,  an  intelligent  looking  lady  told  us  she  had  counted 
every  seam  in  the  tent,  knew  the  middle  seams,  and  likewise 
had  counted  the  stripes  of  all  the  other  tents  on  the  grounds. 
She  said  this  was  her  favorite  pastime  —  to  count  the  stripes, 
figures,  and  other  objects:  if  nothing  else  presented  itself, 
she  would  count  the  pickets  on  the  fence. 

We  once  had  a  patient,  a  young  man,  who,  when  not  other- 
wise employed,  would  hie  himself  to  the  railroad  and  watch 
for  the  numbers  on  the  freight-cars,  taking  great  delight  when 
he  would  see  a  number  which  he  could  recall  having  seen  some- 
time previous. 

A  woman  school-teacher  of  middle  age  once  consulted  the 
author  to  see  what  help  she  could  get  for  her  obsession  —  of 


344       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

everlastingly  counting  her  steps.  She  said  it  was  19  steps 
from  her  front  porch  to  the  gate;  that  it  was  555  steps  from 
her  house  to  the  grocery;  that  the  court-house  had  2i  steps 
going  up  the  first  flight,  etc.,  etc.  She  said  she  made  the  trip 
from  the  house  to  the  gate  one  day  in  one  step  short  of  the 
usual  count,  and  was  so  disturbed  that  she  had  to  go  back  to 
the  house  and  walk  the  distance  over  again,  that  she  might 
walk  it  in  the  usual  number  of  steps.  Others  are  possessed  of 
obsessions  born  of  their  physical  appearance,  or  determined  by 
their  undue  tendency  toward  being  too  fat  or  too  lean.  Another 
very  common  obsession  is  the  habi^.ual  twirling  of  the  thumbs 
while  the  fingers  are  interlocked. 

VITAL    SEEPAGE  —  ENERGY    LEAKAGE 

The  world  is  filled  with  nervous,  fidgety  persons  who,  while 
they  are  probably  not  victims  of  definite  mental  or  motor  ob- 
sessions, are  constantly  engaged  in  numerous  physical  activ- 
ities which  are  wholly  useless  and  unnecessary. 

Such  slaves  of  habit  cannot  sit  down  without  crossing  their 
legs  and  tossing  the  foot,  or  tapping  the  foot  on  the  floor. 
Some  part  of  their  anatomy  must  be  in  rhythmical  and  inces- 
sant action.  Others  will  twist  their  moustaches,  or  play  with 
their  hair.  We  are  acquainted  with  a  professional  man  who 
cannot  sit  down  a  moment  without  starting  up  a  drumming 
with  his  feet  on  the  floor,  or  else  he  will  beat  an  incessant 
tattoo  with  his  hands  on  the  chair.  Others  are  everlastingly 
fixing  their  clothes  or  adjusting  the  necktie;  they  seem  never 
to  be  able  to  complete  their  toilet.  All  these  needless  and 
useless  manoeuvrings  constitute  a  tremendous  nervous  and 
vital  drain  on  the  victim's  constitution.  It  is  a  sort  of  vital 
seepage  —  there  is  a  constant  leakage  of  nervous  force  and 
muscular  energy. 

We  know  a  young  business  man  who  is  constantly  clearing 
his  throat.  We  have  a  patient  who  engages  in  incessant 
coughing  —  purely  nervous  coughing.  Numerous  cases  of 
nervous  breakdown  from  worry  are  due  to  just  this  sort  of 
nervous  extravagance  plus  incessant  brooding  and  perpetual 
worry.  No  constitution  can  long  stand  to  be  drained  by  worry, 
other    vital    leakage,    and    obsessions.     Sooner    or    later,    the 


PHYSIOLOGY  AND  PSYCHOLOGY  OF  HABIT    345 

strongest  nervous  system  will  be  undermined,  the  vitality  of 
the  sufferer  effectively  sapped,  and  the  resultant  catastrophe 
strikes:  there  occurs  either  a  blow-up  or  a  breakdown. 

"  Sidetrackability "  is  the  name  which  some  one  has  given 
to  the  condition  of  those  nervous,  erratic  people  whose  energies 
are  being  diverted  from  a  legitimate  and  natural  source  into  ab- 
normal and  harmful  channels. 

SYSTEM   AND  ORDER 

Many  persons  would  improve  their  peace  of  mind  and  health 
of  body  if  they  would  learn  to  be  systematic  and  orderly  in  the 
details  of  their  everyday  life.  To  look  at  the  desks  of  some 
business  men;  to  look  into  the  study  rooms  of  some  profes- 
sional men;  to  go  through  the  homes  of  some  housewives;  is 
enough  to  explain  why  so  many  of  these  people  work  so  hard 
and  accomplish  so  little.  Everything  is  in  disorder  —  no  sys- 
tem prevails. 

It  is  highly  essential  that  intelligent  methods  and  automatic 
habits  should  be  formed  for  carrying  on  one's  regular,  daily 
work;  on  the  other  hand,  it  is  altogether  possible  to  make  a 
veritable  obsession  out  of  law  and  order.  We  are  acquainted 
with  a  young  man  who  accomplishes  but  little  in  life  except 
to  keep  his  study  in  order.  So,  while  we  recommend  system 
and  order  as  a  means  of  economizing  time  and  energy,  we  do 
not  mean  that  they  should  be  carried  to  the  point  of  unbounded 
fussiness  and  unbearable  neatness. 

Nevertheless,  it  is  a  fact,  that  by  making  as  much  of  our 
work  as  possible  automatic,  we  relieve  the  higher  controlling 
centres  of  the  brain  from  the  necessity  of  attending  to  these 
details,  and  in  this  way,  we  vastly  increase  the  opportunity  and 
power  of  the  mind  for  the  performance  of  additional  useful 
and  original  work. 

COOL-HEADEDNESS 

One  of  the  things  most  needed  in  our  modern  civilization  is 
cool-headedness,  the  power  to  think  more  than  once  while  in 
the  same  spot.  Thoughtlessness  is  responsible  for  many  of  our 
difficulties.  Some  unfortunate  souls  have  got  into  a  chronic 
habit  of  "being  constantly  rushed."  It  makes  no  difference 
where  or  when  you  meet  them,  they  are  "  simply  rushed  to 


346       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

death  " ;  "  have  n't  time  to  think  " ;  "  so  glad  to  see  you,  but 
have  n't  time  to  talk  it  over  now  " ;  etc.,  etc.  Why,  it  really 
makes  you  nervous  simply  to  meet  them  on  the  street.  They 
seem  to  have  a  sort  of  psychic  St.  Vitus's  dance. 

These  restless  people  are  like  a  steam-engine  with  the  gov- 
ernor off;  they  are  making  a  great  fuss,  a  big  noise,  but  they 
are  accomplishing  but  little  in  the  line  of  real,  useful  work. 
These  chronically  rushed  folks  keep  both  mind  and  body  work- 
ing under  a  terrible  strain,  until  by  and  by  this  state  of  strain 
becomes  habitual;  they  become  chronically  keyed  up;  they 
cannot  let  go;  they  cannot  relax.  Even  when  they  go  to  bed 
at  night,  they  are  still  so  rushed  that  they  are  often  unable  to 
find  time  to  go  to  sleep,  and  consequently  they  lie  awake  half  the 
night. 

This  unnecessary  and  abnormal  rushing  through  life  is 
probably  due  to  exaggerated  ideas  of  one's  importance,  or  else 
it  must  be  due  to  an  overestimation  of  the  importance  of  the 
work  one  is  doing.  Most  of  us  need  to  learn  to  take  ourselves 
less  seriously,  and  some  ought  to  learn  to  take  even  their 
work  less  seriously.  It  was  a  wise  mother  who  said  to  her 
nervous  daughter,  "  My  child,  you  cannot  possibly  exaggerate 
the  unimportance  of  things." 

THE    NERVOUS   RHYTHM    OF    HABIT 

We  should  constantly  bear  in  mind  that  habits  usually  estab- 
lish themselves  in  harmony  with  certain  laws  of  periodicity. 
There  is  a  tendency  toward  regularity  in  the  motor  discharge 
of  our  established  habits,  whether  it  be  the  drumming  of  the 
fingers  on  the  arms  of  a  chair  or  the  regular  sprees  of  the 
periodical  drunkard. 

We  get  the  habit  of  having  periodic  stimulation  —  that  is, 
periodically  whipping  our  nerves;  some  are  addicted  to  the 
use  of  alcohol  and  other  drugs,  still  others  make  use  of  tea 
and  coffee.  The  use  of  these  nerve  excitants  and  depressants 
is  a  confession  of  weakness  of  character  on  the  part  of  those 
who  depend  on  these  various  unnatural  and  harmful  methods 
of  exercising  the  nervous  system.  This  rhythmic  tendency  of 
nervous  impulses  is  an  important  factor  in  overcoming  bad 
habits  —  the  reeducation  of  the  nervous  system.     It  is  neces- 


PHYSIOLOGY  AND  PSYCHOLOGY  OF  HABIT    347 

sary  that  all  formative  and  reformatory  efforts  should  be  sys- 
tematic and  regular;  every  effort  to  retrain  the  body  and  form 
new  habits  should  faithfully  be  carried  out  in  accordance 
with  this  law  of  nervous  periodicity. 

CAN    HABITS    BE   CHANGED? 

Since  habits  possess  a  real  physical  foundation  and  an  actual 
psychologic  basis,  can  they  be  modified,  reshaped,  or  otherwise 
changed  after  their  slave  has  reached  maturity?  The  answer 
to  this  question  embraces  a  number  of  factors.  The  eradi- 
cation of  the  old  habit  or  the  formation  of  the  new,  first  de- 
mands the  absolute  cooperation  of  the  will,  the  complete  mak- 
ing up  of  one's  mind  to  do  the  thing  in  question.  It  next 
requires  that  the  body  itself  shall  be  set  in  operation  in  the 
desired  direction  of  forming  the  new  habit.  New  thoughts 
must  be  formulated  and  actually  placed  in  command  of  the 
mind.  The  new  actions  must  be  executed  with  decision  and  reg- 
ularity. The  new  habit  must  repeatedly  and  persistently  be 
wrought  out  through  the  physical  body. 

Persistent,  intelligent,  regular,  systematic,  and  determined 
effort  on  the  part  of  the  mind  will  prove  successful  in  uproot- 
ing almost  any  and  every  habit  which  can  fasten  itself  upon  the 
human  mind  or  body. 

SUMMARY   OF   THE   CHAPTER 

1.  The  period  of  infancy  is  the  special  time  for  initiating 
habits.  The  longer  the  infancy  of  an  animal,  the  greater 
the  range  and  possibility  for  the  formation  of  habits. 

2.  Habits  are  due  to  actual  pathways  through  the  nervous 
mechanism  of  the  body.  Habits  have  a  material  foundation 
as  well  as  a  mental  basis. 

3.  Every  time  an  act  is  repeated  its  performance  becomes 
easier  and  easier ;  the  "  path  of  motor  discharge  "  becomes  in- 
creasingly automatic  and  established. 

4.  Colonies  of  brain  cells  and  groups  of  ideas  (psychic  cen- 
tres) come  also  to  form  definite  and  habitual  associations.  In 
this  way,  mental  habits  are  formed,  habits  of  thought. 

5.  The  thinking  machinery  readily  settles  into  the  ruts  and 
grooves  of  its  own  formation.  After  thirty  years  of  age,  new 
habits  are  formed  only  as  a  result  of  persistent  psychic  training. 


348       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

6.  Habit  is  a  sort  of  partnership  arrangement  between  the 
mind  and  the  body  for  the  purpose  of  accomplishing  a  maximum 
of  work  with  a  minimum  expenditure  of  energ}. 

7.  It  is  just  as  easy  to  form  a  good  habit  as  a  bad  one.  When 
bad  habits  become  established,  they  rule  their  slave  with  abso- 
lute tyranny. 

8.  An  obsession  is  a  constantly  recurring  idea,  feeling,  or 
emotion,  which  presents  itself  incessantly  and  automatically 
in  our  experience,  and  which  leads  to  the  thinking  of  certain 
foolish  thoughts  and  the  performance  of  certain  useless  acts. 

9.  Mental  obsessions  are  probably  due  to  a  mild  form  of 
idea-dissociation,  while  motor  obsessions  are  simply  habitual 
acts  resulting  from  automatic  and  uncontrolled  motor 
discharges. 

10.  Common  obsessions  are  such  as  insistent  ideas,  count- 
ing, kicking  posts,  wiggling  the  toes,  twirling  the  thumbs, 
twisting  the  moustache,  drumming  on  the  chair,  or  tossing  the 
foot  when  the  legs  are  crossed. 

11.  These  obsessions  and  near-obsessions  constitute  a  tre- 
mendous vital  drain  upon  the  constitution.  These  useless  ma- 
noeuvres represent  a  species  of  vital  seepage  —  a  leakage  of 
nervous  force  and  muscular  energy. 

12.  System  and  order  in  doing  one's  daily  work  are  highly 
economical  and  helpful.  Automatic  action  conserves  the  time 
and  energy  of  the  higher  brain  centres.  It  is  possible  to  con- 
vert law  and  order  into  an  obsession,  so  that  instead  of  proving 
a  help  in  the  daily  affairs  of  life,  it  becomes  a  veritable  bondage. 

13.  The  habit  of  "  being  rushed  "  is  chronic  with  some  persons. 
It  is  an  extravagant  practice  —  wasteful  of  vital  energy.  Cool- 
headedness  would  help  numerous  people  out  of  many  of  their 
troubles. 

14.  Habits  are  usually  formed  in  accordance  with  the  nerv- 
ous laws  of  periodicity.  Motor  discharge  usually  follows  a  law 
of  regularity  when  it  becomes  habitual,  as  in  the  case  of  the 
periodical  drinker. 

15.  Persistent,  intelligent,  systematic,  and  determined  effort 
on  the  part  of  the  mind  will  usually  prove  successful  in  up- 
rooting any  undesirable  habit  which  may  have  fastened  itself 
on  mind  or  body. 


CHAPTER  XXXII 

THE  NATURE  AND  CAUSE  OF  WORRY 

Worry  defined.— The  psychology  of  worry. —  The  general 
CAUSES  of  worry. —  Happiness-hunger. —  Temperamental 
peculiarities. —  Weather-worry. —  The  magnification  of 
TRIFLES. —  The  chronic  "  kicking  "  HABIT. —  Perverted  prov- 
erbs.—  The  worry  circle. —  Excessive  self-consciousness. 
—  Mental  work  and  rest. —  Special  fears  and  hoodoos. — 
The  spirit  of  infirmity. —  Fictitious  worries. —  Moral 
causes     of     worry. —  Religious     fanaticism. —  Physical 

CAUSES  OF  worry. —  WORRY  DEPENDENT  ON  AGE. —  PERNICIOUS 
HEALTH  FADS. —  SOCIAL  SOURCES  OF  WORRY. —  INDUSTRIAL 
CAUSES   OF    WORRY. —  SUMMARY    OF   THE    CHAPTER. 

IN  every  age,  the  human  race  has  suffered  from  the  disastrous 
consequences  of  fear  and  worry,  but  it  has  fallen  to  the  lot 
of  our  present-day  civilization,  with  its  intensity  and  com- 
plexity, to  suffer  in  an  unusual  degree,  the  direful  consequences 
of  mental  strain  and  social  anxiety. 

WORRY    DEFINED 

It  is  exceedingly  difficult  to  frame  an  acceptable  definition  for 
worry.  A  patient  once  described  her  mental  state  to  the 
author  by  saying  that  her  ''  mind  took  tight  hold  of  an  idea, 
and  just  would  not  let  go."  It  would  seem  that  worry  might 
truthfully  be  called  ''  a  spasm  of  the  attention,"  or  a  continued 
fit  of  mental  concentration.  Concentration  of  the  mental  ener- 
gies is  highly  essential  to  the  performance  of  first-class  brain 
work,  and  it  would  seem  that  the  danger  of  worry  is  ever 
associated  with  a  high  degree  of  mental  concentration.  It  is 
very  necessary  that  the  mind  should  take  fast  hold  upon  a 
group  of  ideas  in  order  to  perform  efficient  mental  work ;  on  the 
other  hand,  if  this  intellectual  concentration  is  too  long  con- 

349 


350       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

tinued;  if  the  mind  fails  to  release  its  grasp;  if  the  psychic 
focus  becomes  continuous,  then  we  have  reached  the  border- 
lands of  anxiety,  fear,  and  worry. 

And  so  we  find  worry  to  be  a  sort  of  "  one-sided  mental  ac- 
tion." Worry  may  be  defined  as  fear  thought  in  contradis- 
tinction to  forethought.  Forethought  is  highly  necessary  to  the 
smooth  running  of  our  daily  affairs,  while  fear  thought  is 
wholly  unnecessary  and  even  highly  injurious;  indeed,  worry 
has  been  called  "  chronic  fear."  It  is  a  well-known  fact  that 
any  single  fear  or  group  of  fears,  when  long  entertained  in 
the  mind,  tend  to  crystallize  themselves  into  definite  worry, 
which  incessantly  harasses  the  soul  and  everlastingly  dissipates 
the  mental  energies. 

Forethought  is  a  wise  general  of  the  intellectual  forces,  mak- 
ing an  intelligent  comparison  between  the  past  and  the  present, 
while  discriminatingly  planning  for  the  future.  Forethought 
is  never  unmindful  of  our  present  difficulties,  neither  is  it 
blind  to  those  which  may  be  encountered  in  the  future.  Fear 
thought  is  nothing  more  or  less  than  a  process  of  borrowing 
trouble  from  the  future  for  the  purpose  of  augmenting  our 
present  sorrows.  Worry,  while  ever  posing  as  solicitous  for 
our  welfare,  is  a  false  friend  —  a  dangerous  traitor  to  the 
natural  laws  governing  the  realm  of  mind  and  morals. 

THE   PSYCHOLOGY  OF  WORRY 

Man  is  the  only  animal  that  makes  himself  ridiculous  by 
worry.  The  biologists  teach  us  that  intelligence  (the  liability 
to  worry)  exists  only  in  those  animals  high  enough  up  in  the 
biologic  scale  to  possess  associative  memories.  Man  possesses 
a  high  degree  of  memory  association;  as  Shakespeare  says, 
Man  is  made  "with  such  large  discourse,  looking  before  and 
after."  Numerous  experiments  made  upon  lower  animals  serve 
to  prove  that  much  of  their  apparently  intelligent  action  is  pure- 
ly instinctive  —  hereditary.  They  do  not  reason  intelligently. 
The  lower  forms  of  life  seem  utterly  unable  to  profit  by  ex- 
perience—  they  have  no  associative  memories,  and,  of  course, 
they  are  not  addicted  to  worry.  In  ascending  the  scale  of 
animal  life,  interesting  problems  are  encountered  when  we 
reach  the  ant  tribes;  and  it  seems  highly  probable  that  wasps 
do  actually  possess  certain  powers  of  associative  memory. 


THE  NATURE  AND  CAUSE  OF  WORRY        351 

And  so  the  higher  we  ascend  in  the  scale  of  animal  life,  the 
greater  the  tendency  to  worry  —  to  look  with  fear  and  mis- 
giving upon  that  which  the  future  holds  in  store,  or  to  be  un- 
duly apprehensive  concerning  the  difficulties  and  problems  of 
the  present. 

THE  GENERAL  CAUSES   OF  WORRY 

The  uncertainties  and  vicissitudes  of  life  upon  our  planet 
are  such  as  to  render  more  or  less  worry  inevitable.  A  certain 
degree  of  mild  worry,  a  certain  amount  of  mental  anxiety,  it 
would  seem,  is  ever  attached  to  the  living  state.  Life  is  the  one 
great  source  of  worry.  Death  alone  affords  perfect  and  per- 
manent relief  from  the  liability  to  fear  and  worry. 

The  fact  that  man  is  the  only  animal  that  worries  is  but  a 
demonstration  of  the  superiority  of  the  human  mind  over  that 
of  the  lower  animals.  Animals  are  not  given  to  looking  back- 
ward, and,  as  a  rule,  they  do  not  look  very  far  into  the  future ; 
on  the  other  hand,  the  mind  of  man  sweeps  back  over  past  ages, 
and,  from  the  page  of  history,  as  well  as  from  the  perplexing 
incidents  of  the  present,  forms  those  conclusions  which  cause 
him  to  look  with  fear  and  trembling  into  the  future. 

The  causes  of  human  worry  are  indeed  varied,  but  in  the 
last  analysis,  they  are  usually  found  to  consist  in  some  form  of 
irritation,  anxiety,  or  fear.  It  not  infrequently  develops  that 
numerous  habits  of  life  and  physical  practices  are  contributory 
to  the  worry  habit.  The  use  of  alcohol,  and  other  forms  of 
psychic  and  physical  transgression,  are  often  discovered  to  be 
the  handmaidens  of  worry  and  sorrow.  Lack  of  self-control 
is  another  ,great  cause  of  worry.  A  strong  will  would  cure 
nine-tenths  of  this  unnecessary  form  of  grief.  Even  the 
proverbial  "  wet  hen  "  could  undoubtedly  overcome  her  anger 
if  she  would  but  become  indifferent  to  the  matter  of  always 
keeping  dry.  We  stand  other  people's  troubles,  and,  by  vigor- 
ously making  up  our  minds,  we  ought  to  be  able  to  stand  our 
own. 

HAPPINESS-HUNGER 

Whatever  the  immediate  cause  of  worry,  a  solicitude  for  our 
own  general  welfare,  material  prosperity,  and  mental  happiness, 
or  that  of  our  loved  ones,  must  be  recognized  as  the  real  cause 


352       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

of  all  our  worry.  We  worry  lest  we  may  lose  or  fail  to  obtain 
those  material  blessings  which  will  make  us  and  our  friends 
happy. 

The  desire  for  happiness,  then,  is  found  to  be  the  real,  funda- 
mental cause  of  worry,  but  it  should  ever  be  borne  in  mind  that 
under  no  circumstances  can  worry  ever  contribute  to  our  hap- 
piness; on  the  other  hand,  it  should  be  remembered  that  worry 
and  anxiety  never  fail  to  detract  from  the  enjoyment  of  life,  to 
destroy  mental  peace,  and  not  infrequently  they  store  up  for 
the  future  that  which  will  everlastingly  destroy  the  very  happi- 
ness for  the  love  of  which  we  are  wont  to  worry. 

Many  good  people  entertain  the  false  notion  that  the  posses- 
sion of  material  riches  can  bestow  happiness  upon  the  soul. 
They  are  fully  possessed  of  the  idea  that  riches  are  essential 
to  the  joy  of  living.  Accordingly,  they  toil  in  anxiety,  endure 
hardships,  and  experience  much  mental  torture,  in  their  efforts 
to  provide  themselves  with  these  supposed  essentials  to  life 
and  happiness;  but  all  this  is  a  mistake.  True  happiness  is 
rather  derived  from  the  blessings  of  sound,  physical  health, 
mental  peace,  and  spiritual  rest. 

TEMPERAMENTAL   PECULIARITIES 

Some  good  people  constantly  worry  because  they  are  "  criti- 
cised "  either  justly  or  unjustly.  Some  folks  are  veritable 
human  sensitive-plants ;  they  are  always  being  "  neglected  "  or 
"  slighted,"  even  by  their  best  friends.  Other  good  people  are 
depressed  and  dejected  because  they  are  sure  that  their  great 
worth  is  not  fully  appreciated  by  their  associates  or  employers. 
Still  others  fret  and  fume  and  worry  because  they  feel  it  is 
their  duty  to  resent  some  supposed  or  real  injury  or  injustice 
which  has  been  done  them. 

This  temperamental  sort  of  worry  frequently  gives  rise  to 
violent  outbursts  of  temper  and  extraordinary  manifestations 
of  anger,  all  of  which  are  exceedingly  injurious  to  the  health 
of  the  nervous,  digestive,  and  circulatory  systems,  while  they 
are  highly  destructive  to  every  form  of  happiness  and  spiritual 
peace. 

Other  people  worry  because  they  are  inordinately  timid  — 
backward.     Many  earnest  souls  constantly  fear  imaginary  dif- 


THE  NATURE  AND  CAUSE  OF  WORRY        353 

ficulties,  fear  they  will  make  some  awful  blunder,  or  that  they 
will  utterly  fail  to  "  make  good "  with  the  task  they  have  in 
hand.  Some  persons  always  feel  that  after  they  have  done 
their  best  they  will  still  be  unable  to  meet  the  demands  which 
their  position  makes  upon  them.  This  abnormal  timidity 
necessarily  results  in  producing  an  unnatural  state  of  discour- 
agement, brooding,  and  despondency. 

Still  others  worry  over  their  grave  responsibilities.  As  a 
rule,  these  anxious  individuals  are  found  to  be  altogether  too 
anxious  about  certain  minute  details  and  other  matters  for 
which  they  are  not  at  all  personally  responsible,  and  over  which 
they  exercise  little  or  no  control ;  and  yet  they  constantly  worry 
over  these  things  to  the  point  where  they  lose  both  appetite 
and  sleep. 

WEATHER- WORRY 

Every  time  you  meet  some  people  you  will  find  that  they 
are  worrying  over  the  weather.  They  are  not  quite  satis- 
fied with  what  nature  provides:  the  sun  shines  too  much,  or 
else  it  rains  too  much.  They  are  something  like  the  grumbling 
farmer  whose  fault-finding  and  complaining  were  proverbial 
for  miles  around.  In  the  midst  of  one  ideal  summer  (so  far  as 
weather  conditions  and  crops  were  concerned)  a  delegation  of 
neighbors  called  on  him  one  afternoon  and  expressed  the 
thought  that  he  must  for  once  be  satisfied  with  the  fine  weather 
and  the  excellent  crops.  The  old  farmer  knitted  his  brow, 
scratched  his  head  for  a  moment,  and  then  replied :  "  Yes, 
neighbors,  the  crops  are  good,  and  the  weather  is  fine,  but  I 
want  to  tell  you  it  is  mighty  hard  on  the  land." 

Some  men  and  women  are  literally  human  barometers.  As 
the  result  of  their  rheumatic  tendency,  coupled  with  constant 
thought  of  the  weather,  they  are  able  to  detect  a  storm  long 
before  the  weather  bureau  is  aware  that  it  has  appeared  on 
the  horizon.  Such  unfortunates  are  able  to  keep  themselves 
on  the  border  of  nervous  prostration  by  their  constant  worry 
over  the  weather,  and  from  fear  that  all  their  plans  will  be 
upset  by  rain,  storm,  or  drouth. 

Another  class  of  mental  sufferers  might  be  classified  as  "  sci- 
ence worriers."    They  are  more  or  less  bothered  over  the  great 


354       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

problems  of  the  universe.  Some  are  afraid  the  sun  will  some- 
time burn  out,  and  that  our  old  world  will  gradually  freeze  up. 
Others  live  in  constant  fear  lest  our  planet  will  collide  with 
some  stray  comet.  Several  frightened  people  committed  suicide 
during  the  recent  visit  of  Halley's  comet  to  the  neighborhood 
of  our  world.  Still  others  are  possessed  with  the  constant  fear 
of  being  struck  by  lightning;  they  are  always  terror-stricken 
by  loud  thunder. 

THE   MAGNIFICATION   OF  TRIFLES 

It  is  something  terrible  the  way  intelligent  human  beings 
will  make  a  mountain  out  of  a  molehill,  how  they  persist  in 
magnifying  trifles  beyond  all  measure  and  reason.  A  discour- 
aged and  downcast  fellow,  struggling  with  obstacles  and  fighting 
with  failures,  will  often  deliberately  attribute  all  his  misfor- 
tunes and  difficulties  to  some  trifling  mistake  in  his  youth,  or 
to  some  insignificant  blunder  or  transgression  of  later  life. 

There  recently  came  to  our  clinic  a  young  man  whose  life 
was  a  perfect  failure ;  he  had  contemplated  suicide,  but  a  friend 
urged  him  to  come  and  see  us.  This  patient  had  made  a  certain 
mistake  in  his  youth,  which  he  later  greatly  magnified,  and  so 
led  himself  to  believe  that  he  could  not  succeed  in  life,  that  he 
was  doomed  to  certain  failure.  For  seven  years  he  had  lived  in 
this  slough  of  despond,  and  now  he  seriously  thought  of  taking 
his  life.  He  had  been  looking  through  the  glass  of  life  from 
the  wrong  end,  and  it  was  only  necessary  to  reverse  his  tele- 
scope, as  it  were,  to  give  him  a  new  viewpoint  in  life.  After 
an  hour's  talk  he  was  ready  to  go  to  work  and  he  has  con- 
tinued to  make  rapid  and  satisfactory  improvement. 

We  are  all  subject  to  the  little  ills  of  life.  Other  people  are 
not  free  from  these  vexing  trifles;  why  should  we  expect  to 
be?  In  times  of  trouble  and  harassment  let  hs  swell  out  our 
chests,  breathe  deeply,  and  face  these  trifling  difficulties  like 
men.  Let  obstacles  breed  the  spirit  of  conquest,  the  determina- 
tion to  conquer,  instead  of  causing  us  to  wilt  and  surrender. 

THE  CHRONIC  "'  KICKING  "   HABIT 

Another  great  cause  of  worry  and  kindred  mental  dissatis- 
faction is  to  be  found  in  the  disposition  of  some  grouchy 
dyspeptics  to  find  fault  with  everything  and  everybody.     They 


FIG. 29.     A    CHRONIC     KICKER    . 


e  e       *    ••' 


THE  NATURE  AND  CAUSE  OF  WORRY        355 

have  literally  acquired  the  "kicking"  habit.  (See  Fig.  29.) 
Such  unfortunate  creatures  seem  utterly  unable  to  see  good  in 
anybody  or  to  be  satisfied  with  anything. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  worry  grows  by  what  it  feeds 
on.  When  we  nurse  and  nourish  this  spirit  of  dissatisfaction, 
it  acts  and  reacts  upon  ourselves  until  the  very  soul  is  filled 
with  discontent,  and  the  mind  is  permeated  with  complaining. 
However  small  and  trifling  the  matter  over  which  we  begin  to 
worry,  the  insignificant  cause  of  our  mental  dissatisfaction  will 
be  found  entirely  sufficient  to  feed  and  nourish  the  spirit  of 
uneasiness  to  the  point  where  it  gains  possession  of  our  minds, 
threatens  to  wreck  our  career,  and  constantly  harasses  the  soul 
to  the  point  where  life  is  unbearable. 

But  after  all  that  can  be  said  of  the  causes  of  worry,  we 
cannot  overlook  the  fact  that  some  people  have  come  to  the 
place  where  they  enjoy  poor  health.  They  would  not  be  happy 
if  they  could  not  complain  of  headache,  backache,  stomach-ache, 
or  something  of  the  kind;  their  complaints  have  become  chronic; 
they  enjoy  enlisting  the  sympathy  of  their  fellows,  having  de- 
light in  describing  their  sufferings  and  explaining  their  miseries ; 
they  are  constantly  consulting  the  almanac  and  the  patent 
medicine  advertisements  to  find  some  new  cause  for  physical 
complaint,  and  they  usually  find  what  they  are  looking  for. 

PERVERTED  PROVERBS 

Many  a  good  old  saying,  proverbial  for  its  truthfulness  when 
properly  understood,  has  destroyed  the  peace  and  happiness  of 
those  who  have  come  to  worry  over  its  too  literal  fulfilment. 
Take  such  a  proverb  as  "  Look  before  you  leap."  This  old 
saying  certainly  contains  good  advice;  but  we  have  known  a 
number  of  earnest  men  and  women  who  have  long  remained 
stationary  in  their  life  plans,  looking  with  such  care  and  scru- 
tiny over  the  present  and  the  future,  that  they  have  failed  to 
take  advance  steps;  they  have  been  altogether  too  fearful  to 
leap;  they  would  not  dare  take  a  chance,  they  were  afraid  of 
the  risk.  Old  age  is  creeping  upon  them,  and  their  careers  have 
been  ruined  by  a  too  literal  interpretation  and  over-regard  for 
such  a  good  proverb  as  "  Look  before  you  leap." 

Another  of  the  old  proverbs,  responsible  for  causing  much 


356       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

worry,  is  the  oft-repeated  saying,  "  What  is  worth  doing  at  all 
is  worth  doing  well."  While  this  proverb  contains  sound  and 
wholesome  advice  for  every  young  man  and  woman,  it  must 
also  be  remembered  that  every  day  of  our  lives  we  are  called 
upon  to  perform  a  large  number  of  wholly  unessential  tasks, 
tasks  which  are  but  temporary  scaffolding,  as  it  were,  compared 
to  the  more  important  character-structure  we  are  building. 
It  is  true  that  these  minor  tasks  must  be  done  with  sufficient 
care  so  as  not  to  endanger  the  real  structure  we  are  erecting, 
nevertheless,  it  would  be  a  great  waste  of  energy  to  try  care- 
fully to  square,  polish,  and  paint  the  scaffolding  which  stands 
but  to-day,  and  to-morrow  is  torn  away. 

And  this  is  true  of  much  of  our  common  work.  Each  day's 
efforts  should  be  wisely  divided  up  into  the  essential  and  the 
unessential;  and  as  we  review  the  events  of  the  day  in  its  closing 
hours,  it  should  be  no  occasion  for  worry  and  self-reproach 
that  some  trifle  has  had  to  be  slighted  or  altogether  neglected. 
If  the  brick  and  mortar  you  have  put  into  the  real  character- 
structure  are  sound  and  good,  if  your  wall  has  been  raised  up 
true  to  the  plumb,  let  not  the  miscarriage  of  some  detail  either 
distress  or  worry  you. 

Many  conscientious  young  people  have  worried  altogether  too 
much  over  such  teaching  as,  "  Be  sure  you  are  right,  then  go 
ahead."  Owing  to  their  peculiar  mental  make-up,  their  natur- 
ally diffident  and  hesitating  disposition,  they  could  never  be 
quite  sure  that  they  were  absolutely  right;  and  so  they  never 
went  ahead.  For  years  they  remain  stationary  in  their  life 
plans,  first  contemplating  one  thing,  then  another,  and  then 
pretty  soon  they  begin  seriously  to  worry  because  they  have  not 
gone  ahead. 

"  Haste  makes  waste  "  is  usually  found  to  be  true ;  but  there 
are  times  in  life  when  it  is  absolutely  necessary  that*  one  should 
make  haste ;  when  decisions  must  be  quickly  formed  and  speedily 
executed;  delay  would  be  fatal.  Now,  if  in  the  sober  after 
moments  it  should  develop  that  the  highest  wisdom  had  not 
characterized  the  formation  of  these  hasty  conclusion's,  it 
should  be  no  cause  for  life-long  worry  and  everlasting  regret. 
Perhaps  no  one  else  could  have  done  better  under  the  circum- 


THE  NATURE  AND  CAUSE  OF  WORRY        35; 

stances ;  after  all,  you  did  the  best  you  could.  If  there  is  any- 
thing to  learn  from  your  apparent  mistakes,  learn  it  cheerfully, 
and  then  let  the  matter  forever  rest. 

And  so  we  see  that  the  misunderstanding  and  misinterpreta- 
tion of  even  good  and  true  teaching  may  lead  to  such  a  one- 
sided and  extreme  regard  for  truth  and  duty  as  to  create  a 
condition  of  mental  uneasiness  and  dissatisfaction,  eventually 
leading  to  chronic  worry,  with  all  its  evil  effects  upon  mind, 
soul,  and  body. 

THE  WORRY   CIRCLE 

When  the  attention  is  directly  concentrated  upon  any  part 
of  the  body,  there  is  a  definite  tendency  to  magnify  the  sensa- 
tions arising  in  that  part.  Special,  peculiar,  or  unusual  physical 
sensations  always  have  a  tendency  to  engender  more  or  less 
fear;  and  it  is  a  well-known  and  generally  recognized  fact  of 
psychology  that  fear  unfailingly  increases  and  focalizes  the 
attention. 

Sensation,  fear,  and  attention  constitute  the  elements  which 
enter  into  the  formation  of  that  wicked  and  destructive  mischief- 
maker,  the  "  vicious  worry  circle."  It  will  be  recalled  that  one 
of  the  definitions  of  worry  was,  "a  spasm  of  the  attention.' 
This  health-destroying  and  mind-ruining  "  circle  of  worry " 
starts  with  some  extraordinary  conscious  impression,  upon 
which  the  attention  is  forthwith  focussed.  The  vividness  of 
the  impression  is  thereby  greatly  increased  and  fear  is  aroused, 
perhaps  worry  is  born.  Then  all  this  fear  and  worry  reacts 
by  increasing  and  focalizing  the  attention  anew  upon  those  im- 
pressions which  were  the  original  source  and  cause  of  all  this 
mischief.  In  this  manner,  concentration  of  the  thoughts  upon 
any  organ  of  the  body  or  upon  any  local  pain  therein,  is  usually 
found  to  make  matters  worse  or  indefinitely  to  perpetuate  the 
ailment. 

It  would  thus  appear  that  worry  is  seldom  likely  to  cure  itself 
by  being  allowed  to  run  its  natural  course.  It  soon  wears  for 
itself  definite  grooves  in  the  brain  and  nervous  system,  and  ever 
tends  to  perpetuate  itself  after  the  manner  of  this  "  vicious 
circle,"  and  in  almost  every  case  slowly  but  surely  increases  its 
intensity,  thereby  becoming  more  and  more  destructive  to 
mental  peace  and  physical  health. 


358       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

We  would  not  dispute  the  fact  that  the  meek  and  humble, 
soul-eyed,  hollow-cheeked  woman  may  be  on  the  certain  road 
to  heaven,  but  we  are  quite  certain  that  she  must  have  a  "  stop- 
over ticket  for  some  sanitarium "  or  hospital  where  she  will 
have  to  be  long  treated  for  the  mental  and  material  results  of 
her  constant  worry,  as  well  as  for  the  indigestion,  dyspepsia, 
and  nervous  prostration,  that  are  so  surely  produced  by  this 
unnatural,  unhealthful,  and  downcast  mental  state.  And  so, 
the  "  vicious  worry  circle  "  is  found  to  consist  of  the  following 
factors  —  attention  magnifies  sensation;  sensation  produces 
fear  and  worry;  and  worry  further  increases  and  focalizes 
the  attention. 

EXCESSIVE    SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS 

Among  the  everyday  mental  causes  of  fear  and  worry  should 
be  mentioned  the  exaggerated  self-consciousness  found  espe- 
cially in  the  case  of  certain  young  people.  Stage-fright  is  an 
acute  exhibition  of  this  form  of  mental  uneasiness  and  physical 
discomfort  Many  sensitive  persons  find  it  almost  impossible 
to  get  away  from  these  insistent  feelings  of  self-consciousness. 
Their  minds  are  peculiarly  concentrated  on  the  thought  that 
other  people  are  thinking  about  them,  and  it  is  certainly  a 
demonstration  of  the  fact  that  our  thoughts  are  a  real  part  of 
ourselves. 

We  well  remember  hearing  some  one  say,  "An  imaginary 
worry  may  be  unreal,  but  a  worried  imagination  is  very  real  " ; 
and  this  is  true.  The  basis  of  our  worry  may  be  entirely  false 
and  unreal,  but  the  final  results  of  the  worry  upon  the  mind, 
soul,  and  health  are  in  every  sense  real  and  highly  injurious. 

MENTAL   WORK   AND   REST 

We  must  learn  to  strike  an  intelligent  balance  between  the 
dangers  which  threaten  us  on  the  one  hand  from  too  much 
work  and  the  friction  attendant  thereon;  and,  on  the  other 
hand,  from  too  much  rest  and  the  rust  of  character  which  is 
sure  to  follow.  We  do  not  want  either  to  "  worry  out "  or 
"  rust  out,"  but  to  possess  that  wisdom  which  will  enable  us 
to  lead  the  normal,  rational  life  which  promises  deliverance 
from  the  threatened  dangers  of  both  these  unnecessary  ex- 
tremes. We  must  be  able  to  strike  a  practical  balance  between 
friction  and  rust. 


THE  NATURE  AND  CAUSE  OF  WORRY       359 

Both  mental  idleness  and  physical  inactivity  predispose  people 
to  worry.  Those  who  would  cease  from  worry  must  constantly 
guard  against  intellectual  inactivity ;  for,  if  it  is  true  that  Satan 
finds  mischief  for  idle  hands,  it  is  even  more  true  that  he  is 
sure  to  find  worry  for  idle  minds ;  and  worry  obscures  our  out- 
look on  life,  both  for  this  world  and  the  next;  it  throttles  the 
higher  powers  of  the  mind;  it  beclouds  our  view  of  life  and 
distorts  our  appreciation  of  the  duties  thereof.  Worry  is  the 
smoke  on  the  field-glass  of  life,  and  quite  effectively  it  paralyzes 
all  the  creative  faculties  of  the  intellect. 

Mental  work  never  kills.  Mental  work  plus  worry  is  highly 
destructive  to  strength  of  brain  and  health  of  body;  while 
heavy  and  taxing  mental  work  coupled  with  unusual  worry  and 
its  resultant  insomnia,  presents  conditions  which  will  more 
quickly  destroy  the  physical  health  and  break  down  the  mind 
than  any  other  possible  combination  of  mental  vices  and  phys- 
ical sins. 

SPECIAL  FEARS   AND  HOODOOS 

Among  the  more  grave  mental  causes  of  worry  should  be 
mentioned  the  various  "  phobias "  or  specialized  fears.  Men 
and  women,  otherwise  intelligent  and  sound  of  mind,  are  fre- 
quently found  to  be  horribly  afraid  of  certain  foods  or  the 
drinking-water  of  certain  localities;  still  others  are  possessed 
with  a  great  fear  of  such  numbers  as  thirteen,  twenty-three, 
etc.  Of  course,  much  of  this  popular  fear  passes  under  the 
name  of  common,  everyday  superstition.  Others  live  in  con- 
stant fear  of  some  particular  disease;  they  live  through  a  long 
life  constantly  nursing  the  fear  that  they  will  eventually  die 
from  cancer  or  some  other  malignant  disorder. 

We  have  all  along  heard  the  old  proverb,  "  Nothing  kills  so 
sure  as  care  " ;  and  it  is  literally  true.  Constant  fretting  and 
worrying  over  our  special  fears  are  bound  to  do  more  harm  to 
mind  and  body  than  physical  fatigue  and  muscular  weariness. 
The  health  of  mind  or  body  is  greatly  hindered  by  all  this  uncer- 
tainty, indecision,  anxiety,  hesitancy,  and  doubt;  and  any  of 
these  abnormal  and  indefinite  mental  states  when  long  con- 
tinued, when  unduly  entertained,  are  sure  to  give  birth  to  fear 
and  chronic  worry. 


36o       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

Intelligent  people  live  all  their  lives  in  everlasting  dread  of 
some  great  disaster,  some  terrible  catastrophe.  They  are  posi- 
tive they  will  eventually  be  killed  in  an  earthquake,  struck  by 
lightning,  or  be  swept  off  the  earth  by  a  cyclone.  Still  other 
people  are  possessed  with  an  unnatural  gravity  fear:  they  fear 
great  heights,  and  will  not  even  go  up  in  a  high  office-building, 
if  they  can  possibly  avoid  it.  Others  fear  animals  during  the 
summer  season,  carefully  avoiding  all  dogs  for  fear  of  being 
bitten  by  a  mad  dog,  not  knowing  that  mad  dogs  are  just  as 
plentiful  during  the  winter  season  as  during  the  so-called  dog 
days.  There  seems  to  be  no  end  of  these  special  fears,  and 
when  long  continued  they  often  crystallize  themselves  into 
definite  obsessions.  ^t^ 

THE    SPIRIT    OF    INFIRMITY  ^" 

"  And,  behold,  there  was  a  woman  which  had  a  spirit  of  in- 
firmity eighteen  years,  and  was  bowed  together,  and  could  in 
no  wise  lift  up  herself.  And  when  Jesus  saw  her.  He  called  her 
to  Him,  and  said  unto  her,  Woman,  thou  art  loosed  from 
thine  infirmity.  And  He  laid  His  hands  on  her:  and  imme- 
diately she  was  made  straight,  and  glorified  God."  (Luke 
Xni:ii-I3.)  (See  Fig.  30.)  Here  was  an  unfortunate  sufferer 
who  had  been  held  in  bondage  by  an  imaginary  spirit  of  in- 
firmity for  almost  a  score  of  years.  The  Master  broke  light 
into  her  darkened  mind  by  announcing  that  she  was  free  from 
her  infirmity.  She  had  never  really  been  bound.  She  was 
bowed  together  as  a  result  of  her  long  worry  and  sorrow.  So 
long  had  she  assumed  this  physical  attitude  that  her  body  had 
become  permanently  deformed  —  another  illustration  of  a 
physical  disorder  resulting  from  purely  mental  causes. 

Thousands  of  suffering  souls  are  held  to-day  by  the  chains  of 
imaginary  bondage.  They  have  no  real  physical  disease.  Their 
ailment  is  in  reality  a  spiritual  infirmity.  They  might  go  free 
at  any  time,  but  they  do  not  know  it;  they  will  not  believe  it. 
These  prisoners  of  despair  are  held  securely  in  their  prison- 
house  of  doubt,  by  force  of  habit.  They  are  very  much  like  the 
elephant  in  Central  Park,  New  York  City,  which  had  stood  in 
one  spot  for  many  years,  shackled  with  heavy  chains.  He  had 
never  left  his  tracks  except  when  he  had  been  unfastened  and 


THE  NATURE  AND  CURE  OF  WORRY  361 

led  away  by  his  keepers.  One  day  it  occurred  to  them  to  re- 
move the  fetters  from  his  legs  and  see  if  he  would  leave  his 
place.  After  the  beast  was  free  from  his  shackles,  he  stead- 
fastly refused  to  move;  even  after  he  was  allowed  to  become 
exceedingly  hungry,  and  when  food  was  placed  within  a  few 
inches  of  his  reach,  he  stood  in  his  tracks  swaying  from  side  to 
side  and  trumpeting  loudly,  but  not  a  step  did  the  huge  beast 
take  toward  the  food. 

The  elephant  was  free,  but  he  did  not  know  it;  therefore,  he 
stood  there  in  his  old  place  just  as  securely  bound  by  the  chains 
of  his  own  mind  as  if  the  steel  bands  were  about  him  as  of 
old.  And  so  it  is  with  humanity ;  altogether  too  many  of  us  are 
like  unto  the  elephant.  We  are  absolutely  free  to-day,  but  not 
realizing  or  not  believing  the  glorious  fact  —  not  having  faith 
and  courage  enough  to  step  out  into  our  mental  freedom  and  be- 
gin to  enjoy  our  spiritual  liberty  —  like  the  elephant,  we  stand  in 
the  place  of  habit-bondage  and  bitterly  mourn  our  terrible  fate. 
We  are  not  surprised  when  an  elephant  behaves  in  this  way; 
but  it  ought  to  be  a  cause  for  great  astonishment  that  intelligent 
men  and  women,  sons  and  daughters  of  God,  will  allow  them- 
selves to  be  held  down  by  fictitious  bondage  and  bound  down 
by  a   mere   "  spirit   of   infirmity.^' 

FICTITIOUS    WORRIES 

We  recently  saw  a  picture  which  greatly  impressed  us  con- 
cerning the  uselessness  of  worry.  It  was  a  picture  of  an  old 
man,  bent  in  form,  sad  of  expression,  suggestive  of  a  life  filled 
with  perplexities  and  anxiety;  and  underneath  the  picture  was 
this  statement :  "  I  am  an  old  man  and  have  had  many  troubles 
—  most  of  which  never  happened." 

A  recent  writer,  in  discussing  the  question  of  worry  and  the 
weakened  condition  of  the  mind  which  permits  the  "worry 
circle  "  to  go  on  forever  revolving,  getting  worse  and  worse, 
put  it  very  aptly  as  follows :  "  You  say  you  cannot ;  your  friends 
say  you  will  not ;  the  truth  is,  you  cannot  will."  There  is  need 
of  a  determined  effort  to  strengthen  the  will,  to  control  the 
mind.  The  methods  for  the  accomplishment  of  this  will  be 
discussed  in  connection  with  the  treatment  of  worry. 

Certain  nervous   diseases  are   caused  by   worry.     Most  im- 


362       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

portant  among  these  is  the  condition  known  as  neurasthenia, 
commonly  called  "nervous  prostration."  Patients  suffering 
from  this  condition  are  usually  spoken  of  as  "  all  run  down." 
The  truth  is  that  they  are  patients  who  have  been  "  all  wound 
up,"  and,  as  a  result  of  high  tension,  coupled  with  mental 
anxiety,  they  have  broken  down,  collapsed. 

Hypochondria  is  another  disease  which  owes  its  origin  and 
perpetuation  largely  to  worry.  Hypochondria  is  simply  a  con- 
dition in  which  one  worries  about  having  other  diseases.  When- 
ever the  most  intelligent  of  men  begin  to  examine  their  mental 
or  physical  life,  they  usually  discover  themselves  to  be  sick. 
Some  one  has  truthfully  said:  "We  are  all  afflicted  with  a  dis- 
ease called  life."  This  is  a  form  of  hypochondria  \yhich  it  is 
entirely  possible  to  cure  by  mental  means.  There  is  another 
kind  of  hypochondria  which  usually  requires  the  cooperation  of 
the  physician  for  its  permanent  removal.  A  third  form  of  nerv- 
ous complaint  largely  due  to  worry  and  anxiety  is  hysteria; 
and  hysteria,  it  should  be  remembered,  is  the  impersonator  of 
almost  every  known  disease. 

MORAL  CAUSES   OF  WORRY 

The  moral  habits  and  spiritual  state  of  the  individual  not 
infrequently  contribute  much  toward  the  production  of  worry. 
Sin  is  not  only  a  cause  of  physical  sickness,  but  it  also  lies  at 
the  bottom  of  many  a  mental  malady.  Immorality,  dishonesty, 
and  infidelity,  all  operate  to  destroy  the  peace  of  mind  and  give 
rise  to  that  prick  of  conscience  which  is  altogether  incompati- 
ble with  a  tranquil  mental  state. 

Religion  may  be  either  a  cause  of  worry,  or  it  may  play  the 
role  of  a  cure.  We  speak  of  "  religion  "  in  the  sense  of  some 
particular  form  of  theological  belief. 

Worry  is  frequently  generated  by  false  ideas  and  arbitrary 
views  of  the  Supreme  Being.  Doctrinal  and  interpretative 
errors  of  religious  beliefs  are  responsible  for  much  of  the  down- 
cast, sad,  and  despondent  experience  of  many  professed 
Christians,  as  well  as  for  the  unsatisfactory  and  miserable  ex- 
perience of  thousands  who  do  not  profess  to  be  followers  of 
Christ.  Many  earnest  and  honest  souls  have  such  constant 
wrestlings  with  the  doiibt  of  the  forgiveness  of  their  sms,  or 


THE  NATURE  AND  CURE  OF  WORRY         363 

they  live  in  such  incessant  fear  of  death  and  eternal  damnation, 
that  the  mind  is  held  in  constant  bondage  to  these  insistent  and 
oppressive  thoughts,  and  all  this  must  inevitably  result  in  the 
production  of  a  chronic  state  of  worry. 

RELIGIOUS    FANATICISM 

Religious  devotion  and  faith,  while  they  may  prove  the 
quick  and  certain  cure  for  worry,  may  also  be  perverted  — 
carried  to  such  fanatical  extremes  as  to  produce  serious  mental 
worry  and  even  spiritual  despondency.  Every  now  and  then, 
we  hear  of  some  one  "  going  crazy  over  religion."  Such  a  one 
usually  belongs  to  that  class  of  morbidly  conscientious  and  over- 
scrupulous people  who  possess  a  nervous  system  already  greatly 
weakened;  or  perhaps  they  have  a  strain  of  insanity  in  their 
family,  and  probably  some  of  their  ancestors  were  alcoholic  or 
syphilitic.  The  combination  of  such  physical  soil,  taken  to- 
gether with  the  unusual  mental  strain  or  excitement,  connected 
with  extraordinary  religious  enthusiasm,  is  frequently  able 
suddenly  to  overturn  the  mind  or  else  to  produce  such  an 
unnatural  condition  of  anxiety  and  worry  as  gradually  to 
undermine  the  mental  vigor  and  result  in  producing  some  form 
of  insanity.  Religious  fanaticism  is  one-sided  moral  reasoning, 
simply  the  extreme  over-emphasis  of  one  aspect  of  religious  or 
moral  life.  It  sometimes  results  from  an  apparent  exhaustion 
of  the  mental  energies  and  overwork  of  the  spiritual  faculties. 

Still  other  sincere  persons  are  suffering  from  the  results  of 
their  own  misguided  zeal.  They  voluntarily  possess  themselves 
of  such  extraordinary  burdens  for  the  salvation  of  the  souls  of 
their  fellow  men,  that  they,  in  a  measure,  actually  assume  the 
worry  and  responsibility  of  the  world's  Saviour;  and,  as  a 
result,  their  brains  are  overburdened,  and  their  souls  are 
crushed  beneath  the  weight  of  this  constant  worry  and  anxiety 
for  the  welfare  of  their  fellows. 

Religious  hope  of  the  right  sort,  when  sincerely  cherished, 
undoubtedly  exercises  a  positive  power  toward  the  prevention 
of  worry.  It  is  an  important  observation  which  the  author  is 
not  alone  in  making,  that,  as  the  so-called  old-fashioned  religion 
declines,  worry  increases.  As  men  and  women  depart  from  the 
simple   faith  and  trust  in  the  fundamental   principles  of  the 


364       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

Christian  religion,  there  is  a  growing  tendency  to  worry.  We 
sincerely  believe  that  the  religion  of  the  soul  should  be  as  a 
bright  light  shining  in  a  dark  place,  our  guiding  star,  instead  of 
being  perverted  into  a  source  of  worry,  grief,  and  despondency. 

PHYSICAL    CAUSES    OF    WORRY 

Many  sensitive  souls  are  caused  more  or  less  worry  through- 
6ut  life  by  the  legacies  handed  down  by  father  and  mother  in 
the  shape  of  physical  weaknesses  and  bodily  deformities.  Still 
others,  owing  to  a  weakened  nervous  system  and  overstrain, 
have  fallen  into  a  condition  of  nervous  irritability  that  ren- 
ders them  very  liable  to  anxiety  and  worry  upon  the  least 
provocation.  Such  persons  —  in  fact  all  of  us  —  are  greatly 
predisposed  to  worry  by  sleeplessness.  Sound  sleep  is  a  great 
preventive  of  the  mental  state  that  borders  on  worry. 

The  state  of  the  physical  health  is  not  an  infrequent  occasion 
for  worry.  Many  worry  because  of  lingering  illness  or  un- 
usual affliction,  while  others  grieve  because  of  the  sickness  and 
suffering  of  their  loved  ones. 

There  is  little  doubt  that  nine-tenths  of  all  the  ordinary  dis- 
eases of  the  body  originate  in  the  mind,  and  it  is  worry  that 
produces  the  soil  from  which  these  infant  diseases  spring.  The 
seeds  of  mental  disease  and  physical  affliction  may  fall  upon 
us  thick  and  fast,  but  if  they  fail  to  find  the  soil  of  worry  and 
depression  in  which  to  develop  and  grow,  we  are  not  likely  to 
be  seriously  affected  by  their  presence.  It  requires  not  only  a 
germ  to  produce  disease,  but  also  a  favorable  soil  in  which  it 
may  grow.  Worry  produces  just  that  condition  of  mind  and 
body  most  favorable  to  the  growth  and  development  of  all  the 
vicious  diseases  which  prey  upon  the  mind  and  destroy  the 
body. 

WORRY   DEPENDENT   ON    AGE 

Many  of  the  worries  which  afflict  the  human  mind  are  inci- 
dent to  some  particular  time  of  life  —  they  are  more  or  less 
dependent  on  age.  For  example,  we  have  certain  worries  be- 
longing to  the  period  of  childhood,  others  to  adolescence. 
Certain  difficulties  are  more  likely  to  harass  the  soul  during  the 
adult  period  of  life,  whereas  other  troubles  are  more  likely  to 
give  birth  to  worry  and  anxiety  during  old  age. 


THE  NATURE  AND  CURE  OF  WORRY  365 

The  worries  of  childhood  are  just  as  real  as  those  of  later 
life.  The  little  girl  who  is  made  to  wear  short  dresses  which 
come  considerably  above  her  knees,  when  she  has  long  outgrown 
them ;  or  the  small  boy  who  is  compelled  to  wear  clothes  which 
he  regards  as  suited  only  to  infants  —  both  have  their  worries; 
and  it  should  be  remembered  that  their  childish  grievances  are 
to  them  very  real.  They  take  these  little  troubles  of  childhood 
very  seriously.  Likewise  their  griefs  and  sorrows  resulting 
from  ridicule  and  teasing  tend  to  induce  unhealthy  mental 
activity,  and  seriously  to  warp  the  nervous  system  in  its  early 
development. 

Another  form  of  worry  which  may  be  very  properly  classified 
among  this  group,  is  the  fear  and  worry  of  old  age.  As  the 
years  pass  over  us,  the  arteries  begin  to  harden,  the  memory 
gradually  fails,  the  skin  becomes  visibly  wrinkled  and  leathery, 
and  old  age  brings  its  peculiar  worries  to  the  majority  of 
people.  There  is  a  tendency  to  undue  anxiety  on  the  part  of 
the  aged  that  is  born  both  of  the  retrospective  view  of  life  and 
anticipation  as  to  what  the  future  holds  in  store.  Especially  is 
this  true  in  the  case  of  those  who  do  not  have  sufficient  means 
laid  up  properly  and  comfortably  to  care  f J.r  them  to  a  good 
old  age. 

PERNICIOUS    HEALTH    FADS 

Some  new-fangled  health  fad  may  set  the  whole  country 
worrying  about  indigestion  and  dietetics.  Newspaper  articles 
and  health  literature  are  able  so  to  alarm  the  people  as  markedly 
to  upset  the  nerves  and  digestion  of  thousands  of  susceptible 
persons.  Some  editorial  novice,  who  cannot  earn  his  living  in 
a  better  way,  sends  out  an  article  to  the  newspaper  syndicate 
proclaiming  that  some  scientist  has  discovered  that  strawberries 
are  poisonous;  and  forthwith  ten  thousand  people  begin  to 
have  stomach  trouble  from  eating  strawberries,  or  begin  seri- 
ously to  worry  over  their  liability  to  disagree  with  them.  Some 
persons  cannot  read  a  book  on  health  and  hygiene  without  im- 
mediately acquiring  a  new  disease.  It  is  proverbial  that 
medical  students  are  prone  to  have,  or  at  least  to  think  they 
have,  the  numerous  diseases  which  they  study  from  time  to  time. 

The  author  would  not  have   it  understood  that   he   in   any 


366       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

way  decries  the  good  that  has  been  and  is  being  accomplished 
by  the  great  hygienic  awakening  which  is  making  its  way  over 
the  land;  we  believe  that  human  beings  should  be  capable  of 
studying  about  themselves  for  the  purpose  of  gaining  needed 
instruction  without  allowing  their  minds  to  become  morbid, 
faddish,  and  filled  with  worry  concerning  their  physical  health. 
Not  only  are  numerous  physical  conditions  responsible  for 
worry,  but  it  should  be  remembered  that  numerous  physical 
disorders  may  directly  result  from  chronic  worry.  Among  the 
common  physical  ailments  which  may  directly  result  from  long 
continued  worry  may  be  mentioned,  insomnia,  loss  of  weight, 
anaemia,  rise  of  blood-pressure,  hardening  of  the  arteries,  pre- 
mature old  age,  apoplexy,  headaches,  dyspepsia,  constipation, 
pale  skin,  poor  circulation,  and  predisposition  to  catching  all 
contagious  diseases  and  colds. 

SOCIAL  SOURCES  OF  WORRY 

Among  the  social  causes  of  worry,  family  trouble,  either  real 
or  false,  probably  comes  first.  Divorces,  desertions,  and  social 
dissipations  result  in  a  vast  amount  of  human  worry,  sorrow, 
and  sickness. 

Household  problems  are  another  cause  of  worry.  The  proper 
rearing  of  the  boy,  the  successful  training  of  the  girl,  the  usual 
petty  cares  of  the  home,  to  which  all  women  are  subject,  to- 
gether with  the  modern  servant  problem  —  all  serve  to  create 
anxiety  and  worry,  together  with  the  useless  and  unnecessary 
toil  connected  with  the  family  life.  Housewives  are  constantly 
worried  over  the  proper  performance  of  little  things  that  would 
in  no  way  affect  the  family  happiness  if  they  were  left  undone. 

Many  a  mother,  when  she  wakes  up  in  the  morning,  begins 
the  day  in  a  state  of  anxious  and  nervous  agitation;  she  feels 
herself  already  crushed  under  the  weight  of  all  the  burdens  she 
will  have  to  bear.  The  little  household  cares  and  domestic  trials 
which  every  mother  experiences  are  not  to  her  simple  annoy- 
ances; they  are  actual  catastrophes,  and  she  suffers  every  one 
of  these  calamities  a  score  of  times  before  it  comes.  By  noon 
her  life  is  swarming  with  apprehensions,  difficulties,  and 
troubles,  worry  reigns  supreme  on  the  throne  of  her  mind,  and 
distraction  has  come  to  possess  the  soul.     At  the  close  of  the 


THE  NATURE  AND  CURE  OF  WORRY  367 

day  this  unhappy  mother  has  borne  a  hundred  sorrows  which 
were  wholly  imaginary,  produced  entirely  by  abnormal  emotion. 

Among  social  causes  of  worry  are  those  of  jealousy  and  dis- 
trust, the  social  rivalry  and  ambition  found  among  the  "  smart 
sets  "  of  our  metropolitan  centres.  Undue  sympathy  for  friends 
may  be  set  down  as  another  cause  of  mental  uneasiness. 

Social  and  family  friction  may  cause  worry  to  the  point  of 
producing  such  high  blood-pressure  as  to  lead  its  victims  to 
the  use  of  alcohol,  in  an  effort  to  secure  relief  from  mental 
nervous  tension.  Intemperance  may  be  set  down  as  both  a 
cause  and  a  result  of  worry. 

INDUSTRIAL  CAUSES  OF  WORRY 

[»     Every  product  of  modern  inventive  genius  which  tends  to 

ildecrease  the  physical  work  of  the  body  is  bound  to  increase 

ijthe  tendency  toward  worry.     The  less  we  use  the  body,   the 

more  likely  we  are  to  over-use  (abuse)  the  mind  by  worrying. 

An  inordinate  worldly  ambition  may  generate  worry  on  the 
one  hand,  while  there  can  be  no  denying  the  fact  that  poverty 
is  a  provoker  of  worry  on  the  other  hand.  Financial  difficulties 
and  business  reverses  must  be  set  down  as  among  the  industrial 
causes  of  an  uneasy  mind. 

Industrial  disputes  and  labor  difficulties,  the  constant  friction 
between  combinations  of  money  and  those  of  muscle,  produce 
conditions  which  are  ever  provocative  of  industrial  uncertainty, 
and  therefore  result  in  generating  mental  anxiety  and  worry. 

Accidents  incident  to  our  modern  industrial  life  produce 
worry  both  in  those  who  fear  them  and  those  who  are  com- 
pelled to  suffer  because  of  them;  in  fact,  the  complexity  of  the 
demands  of  our  modern  social  and  industrial  organization  is 
such  as  constantly  to  entoil  us  in  the  meshes  of  anxiety  and 
worry. 

SUMMARY  OF  THE  CHAPTER 

I.  Worry  may  be  defined  as  "  a  spasm  of  the  attention  "  — 
too  long  continued  concentration  of  the  mental  powers. 
Worry  is  fear  thought  in  contradistinction  to  forethought.  It 
is  chronic  fear,  one-sided  thinking.  Worry  is  a  process  of 
borrowing  trouble  from  the  future  to  augment  our  present 
sorrows. 


368       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

2.  The  liability  to  worry  exists  only  in  those  animals  high 
enough  up  in  the  biologic  scale  to  possess  associative  memories. 
Man  possesses  a  high  degree  of  the  power  of  memory  associa- 
tion, and,  therefore,  is  most  liable  of  all  animals  to  worry. 

3.  The  general  cause  of  worry  is  the  universal  desire  for 
happiness,  and  the  quest  for  those  things  and  conditions  which 
are  generally  supposed  to  confer  happiness  on  their  possessor.. 

4.  In  the  last  analysis,  much  worry  has  its  origin  in  some 
form  of  irritation,  anxiety,  or  fear.  The  use  of  alcohol,  and 
other  forms  of  physical  transgression,  are  not  infrequently  the 
handmaidens  of  worry  and  sorrow. 

5.  Many  people  constantly  worry  because  of  their  tempera- 
mental peculiarities.  They  feel  that  they  are  always  being 
"  neglected,"  "  slighted,"  or  "  criticised."  Others  are  inordi- 
nately timid,  fearful,  and  backward. 

6.  Some  people  are  literally  human  barometers.  They  can 
detect  a  storm  almost  before  the  weather  bureau  knows  of  its 
existence.  They  constantly  worry  over  the  weather,  lest  their 
plans  be  upset  by  rain,  storm,  or  drouth. 

7.  Some  men  persist  in  magnifying  trifles  beyond  all  measure 
and  reason.  They  insist  on  making  mountains  out  of  molehills. 
Other  people  are  not  free  from  the  little  vexing  trifles  of  life; 
why  should  we  expect  to  be  ? 

8.  Some  people  have  acquired  the  chronic  "  kicking  "  habit ; 
they  are  utterly  unable  to  see  good  in  anybody  or  to  be  satisfied 
with  anything.  Some  folks  have  come  to  the  place  where  they 
actually  enjoy  poor  health,  taking  great  delight  in  recounting 
their  numerous  complaints. 

9.  "  Look  before  you  leap,"  and  numerous  other  good  prov- 
erbs may  be  so  perverted  as  to  lead  to  much  worry  and  inaction. 
Other  proverbs  commonly  perverted  are,  "  What  is  worth 
doing  at  all  is  worth  doing  well " ;  and  "  Be  sure  you  are  right, 
then  go  ahead." 

10.  Each  day's  efforts  should  be  wisely  divided  into  the  es- 
sential and  the  unessential;  and  it  should  be  no  occasion  for 
worry  if  some  trifle  has  baen  slighted  or  neglected,  as  we  re- 
view the  events  of  the  day. 

11.  Sensation,  fear,  and  focalized  attention  are  the  elements 


THE  NATURE  AND  CURE  OF  WORRY  369 

entering  into  the  formation  of  the  wicked  and  destructive 
'*  worry  circle,"  by  which  means  anxiety  is  perpetuated  and 
chronic  worry  tends  ever  to  grow  worse  and  worse,  fed  by  the 
very  elements  of  its  own  creation. 

12.  Exaggerated  self-consciousness  is  a  common  cause  of 
worry.  An  imaginary  worry  may  be  unreal,  but  a  w^orried 
imagination  is  very  real. 

13.  We  must  strike  an  intelligent  balance  between  too  much 
work  on  one  hand,  and  friction  attendant  thereon;  and  on  the 
other  hand,  too  much  rest  and  the  rust  of  character  which  is 
sure  to  follow. 

14.  Mental  work  never  kills.  Mental  work  plus  worry  is 
highly  injurious,  while  mental  work  plus  worry  plus  insomnia 
represents  a  combination  which  will  quickly  destroy  the  health 
of  mind  and  body. 

15.  "  Nothing  kills  so  sure  as  care."  Thousands  are  made 
miserable  by  special  fears,  "  phobias,"  and  hoodoos.  Intelli- 
gent people  live  all  their  lives  in  everlasting  dread  of  some 
great  disaster,  some  terrible  catastrophe. 

16.  Thousands  of  souls  are  held  in  perpetual  bondage  by 
imaginary  fetters.  They  are  victims  of  a  "  spirit  of  infirmity." 
A  discouraged  and  downcast  mental  attitude  may  so  habitually 
bow  down  the  body  as  to  produce  permanent  physical  de- 
formity. 

17.  When  tempted  to  borrow  trouble,  when  harassed  by  ficti- 
tious worries,  remember  the  old  man  who  had  passed  through 
"  many  troubles  —  most  of  which  never  happened." 

,  18.  The  moral  habits  and  spiritual  state  not  infrequently  con- 
tribute much  toward  the  production  of  worry.  Religion  may 
be  either  a  cause  or  a  cure  of  worry.  As  the  old-fashioned 
religion  declines,  worry  increases. 

19.  Physical  weakness,  bodily  deformity,  and  numerous  dis- 
eases all  figure  as  causes  of  worry.  Nine-tenths  of  ordinary 
diseases  originate  in  the  mind  as  a  result  of  worry.  Every  age 
has  its  peculiar  worries;  there  are  childhood  worries,  as  well 
as  old  age  worries. 

20.  Some  new-fangled  health  fad  may  set  the  whole  country 
worrying  about  indigestion  and  dyspepsia.     Magazine  articles 


370       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

and  health  books  are  often  able  to  give  their  nervous  readers  a 
set  of  new  diseases. 

21.  Common  physical  ailments  which  may  be  traced  to  worry 
are  insomnia,  loss  of  weight,  anaemia,  rise  of  blood-pressure, 
hardening  of  the  arteries,  premature  old  age,  apoplexy,  head- 
aches, dyspepsia,  constipation,  poor  circulation,  and  predisposi- 
tion to  catching  disease. 

22.  Among  the  social  causes  of  worry  may  be  mentioned 
divorces,  family  cares,  household  problems,  and  servant  difficul- 
ties, as  well  as  business  difficulties,  industrial  disputes,  and  labor 
troubles. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 

THE  CURE  OF  WORRY 

Mental  therapeutics,  or  so-called  suggestion. —  Auto- 
suggestion, OR  positive  thinking. —  The  practice  of  self- 
control. —  Discounting  fear  and  sensation. —  Minimiz- 
ing difficulties. —  Real  worry  and  fictitious  worry. — 
Learning  to  trust  nature. —  Combat  selfishness. —  The 

ART  of  living  EASY. —  The  MORAL  NUTRITION. —  ThE  DELU- 
SION OF  DRUGS. —  Cultivate  the  physical  health. —  The 
LIFE  OF  the  Golden  Rule. —  Summary  of  the  chapter. 

THE  fundamental  requirement  for  the  successful  treatment 
of  worry  is  the  restoration  of  legitimate  confidence  in 
yourself  and  the  development  of  faith  in  your  friends  and  asso- 
ciates. It  is  also  of  great  assistance  if  the  victims  of  worry  can 
acquire  simple  faith  and  trust  in  the  Supreme  Being.  After  the 
analysis  of  the  causes  of  worry  in  the  preceding  chapter,  it 
seems  useless  to  add  that  those  who  would  begin  its  treatment 
must  first  put  forth  every  effort  and  make  every  provision  for 
the  removal  of  all  the  causes,  both  remote  and  direct.  We 
cannot,  by  any  process  of  treatment,  expect  to  be  successful  in 
our  escape  from  worry  so  long  as  we  permit  its  causes  to  re- 
main in  operation  in  our  lives. 

MENTAL    THERAPEUTICS,    OR    SO-CALLED    SUGGESTION 

It  must  be  remembered  in  dealing  with  our  fellows  who  are 
victims  of  worrying  over  mental  delusions  and  physical  dis- 
eases, that,  so  far  as  the  mind  is  concerned,  we  are  called  upon 
to  treat  these  conditions  largely  by  mental  and  moral  means, 
not  necessarily  by  material  means,  although  it  will  often  be 
found  that  the  body  is  in  such  an  abnormal  condition  as  the 
result  of  chronic  worry,  as  to  require  treatment  by  natural 
remedial  agencies  such  as  water,  air,  exercise,  and  diet. 

371 


372       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

In  our  efforts  to  help  the  individual  over  his  worries  and 
other  mental  difficulties,  we  should  ever  recognize  that  there  are 
true  and  false  suggestions.  True  suggestions  appeal  to  the 
reason,  deal  with  facts,  point  out  causes,  and  offer  a  cure  which 
is  rational  and  right.  False  suggestions  (and  the  world  is 
deluged  with  systems  of  mental  healing  based  upon  falsity  and 
untruth)  appeal  to  the  imagination.  They  aim  to  give  imme- 
diate relief  although  temporary ;  they  aim  to  "  heal  the  hurt 
of  the  daughter  of  my  people  slightly  " ;  they  seek  to  produce 
immediate  effects,  no  matter  at  what  future  expense  of  pain  to 
the  body,  disappointment  to  the  mind,  or  destruction  of  the 
soul.  All  methods  of  sympathy,  suggestion,  and  advice  to  men- 
tal sufferers  should  he  based  upon  truth,  free  from  falsity  and 
deception. 

Suggestion,  either  true  or  false,  is  the  key  that  unlocks  many 
a  medical  mystery,  and  explains  the  cure  of  mental  diseases  in 
all  times  and  by  a  thousand  different  methods.  The  systems  of 
the  ancient  medicine-man  and  the  modern  bogus  healer  are  all 
based  on  the  destruction  of  fear  and  the  generation  of  faith. 
Trust  and  confidence  are  the  mental  states  prerequisite  to  the 
banishment  of  worry,  and,  for  the  time  being,  it  matters  not 
whether  the  suggestions  responsible  for  the  change  in  the  men- 
tal state  are  true  or  false  —  the  physical  effects  are  just  about 
the  same.  Please  bear  in  mind  that  we  are  not  referring  to 
the  after  effects  upon  mind,  the  subsequent  results  upon  the 
soul;  these  are  wholly  deleterious  and  disastrous,  and  will  be 
dealt  with  later. 

AUTO-SUGGESTION,   OR   POSITIVE  THINKING 

Train  the  mind  to  think  positive  thoughts.  For  instance- 
Instead  of  saying  to  yourself  all  the  time,  "  The  noise  of  those 
children  will  drive  me  crazy,"  seek  to  calm  your  nerves 
and  control  your  mind  by  thinking  like  this :  "  The  innocent 
noise  of  these  little  ones  will  not  drive  me  crazy;  it  won't  hurt 
me  at  all."  A  patient  once  remarked  that  he  had  greatly  helped 
himself  in  overcoming  insomnia,  when,  after  retiring,  the 
thought  kept  running  through  his  mind,  "  I  cannot  sleep,  I 
cannot  sleep,"  by  simply  changing  it  around  and  saying,  "  I  can 
sleep,  I  can  sleep,  I  will  sleep." 


THE  CURE  OF  WORRY  373 

If  these  therapeutic  suggestions  are  to  be  made  to  us,  it  is 
altogether  proper  that  we  should  make  them  to  ourselves.  If 
they  are  to  be  made  to  the  patient  by  a  second  party,  let  them 
be  made  in  accordance  with  reason  and  while  the  patient  is 
awake  and  conscious.  This  is  not  the  place  to  consider  hyp- 
notism; but  the  author  desires,  in  this  connection,  to  emphasize 
the  uselessness  of  this  practice  in  the  permanent  relief  and 
help  of  these  mental  sufferers. 

No  amount  of  mental  resolution  and  moral  determination,  in 
and  of  themselves,  will  be  able  to  overthrow  and  cast  out  worry. 
Positive  thinking  is  not  only  required  in  the  battle  against 
worry,  but  it  is  essential  that  our  positive  thinking  shall  also  be 
opposite  thinking.  We  must  overcome  worry  with  its  opposite 
mental  states;  we  must  cultivate  faith  and  trust.  This  is  the 
one  vital  factor  in  the  permanent  cure  of  worry:  Replace  the 
worry  thought  with  an  opposite  thought  which  will  occupy  the 
mind  and  inspire  the  soul.  Drive  out  fear  thought  by  exercis- 
ing faith  thought  This  is  the  substitute  cure  for  worry;  and 
when  backed  up  by  the  strong  resolution  of  a  determined  will, 
this  method  will  always  be  found  effective.  Even  in  the  moral 
and  spiritual  treatment  of  worry  it  is  the  substitution  principle 
that  works  best.  Replace  the  doubting,  restless,  and  fretting 
attitude  toward  God,  by  a  calm,  confident  and  trustful  belief  in 
the  wisdom  of  the  Great  Mind  which  is  directing  the  affairs 
of  this  universe. 

Have  the  moral  courage  to  enforce  your  own  anti-worry 
mandates.  When  you  have  commanded  the  mind  to  cease 
worrying,  keep  right  after  it  and  see  that  it  does.  In  all  these 
little  things  that  harass  one's  soul,  as  some  one  has  said,  "  Don't 
forget  to  remember  the  probability  that  you  have  not,  as  well  as 
the  possibility  that  you  have,  made  a  mistake." 

THE   PRACTICE  OF   SELF-CONTROL 

In  these  days,  we  hear  a  great  deal  about  suggestive  thera- 
peutics. Suggestions  to  a  disobedient  mind  are  best  when  they 
come  straight  from  the  higher  mental  sources  —  the  divinely 
taught  faculties  of  the  mind  itself.  The  secret  of  the  treatment 
of  worry  is  the  acquirer/ient  and  cultivation  of  self-control. 
Purpose  to  be  a  brave  captain  of  your  own  mind.     Summon  to 


374       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

your  aid  all  possible  spiritual  help,  moral  resolution,  and  mental 
decision.  Dictate  positive  commands  to  the  faculties  which 
direct  the  physical  sensations  that  influence  the  bodily  state. 
Learn  to  be  a  master  of  your  moods.  Do  not  permit  yourself 
to  drift  along  like  a  helpless,  rudderless  bark,  tossed  to  and 
fro  by  every  sensation  of  pain  and  every  wind  of  mental 
distress. 

Keep  the  mind  filled  with  faith  thoughts.  Fear  thought  is 
the  ancestor  of  all  worry,  and  do  not  forget  that  fear  thoughts 
cannot  be  successfully  driven  out  of  the  mind  except  by  faith 
thoughts.  Persistently  cultivate  cheerfulness,  confidence,  rest- 
fulness,  and  trustfulness. 

Some  persons  can  be  reasoned  out  of  much  of  their  worry, 
others  are  best  helped  by  judicious  ridicule.  You  can  sometimes 
help  a  woman  to  overcome  her  absurd  fear  of  a  tiny  mouse  by 
reasoning  with  her  along  the  line  of  showing  that  the  mouse 
is  far  more  afraid  of  her  than  she  is  (or  should  be)  of  the 
mouse.  If  reason  does  not  effect  a  cure,  try  ridicule  in  such 
cases  as  these  unreasonable  fears.  Point  out  the  absurdity  of 
a  woman  over  five  feet  high  and  weighing  one  hundred  and 
fifty  pounds,  shrieking  hysterically  at  the  sight  of  a  badly  fright- 
ened and  fleeing  mouse  hardly  two  inches  long ! 

It  is  so  necessary  thoroughly  to  eradicate  this  unnatural 
element  of  fear,  that  if  it  is  found  that  fear  of  the  lifeless 
human  body  cannot  be  cured  otherwise,  it  would  be  advisable 
to  pay  a  visit  to  some  dissecting-room,  repeatedly  touch  the 
dead  bodies  if  necessary,  and  once  and  for  all  time  be  rid  of  this 
unreasonable  fear  of  the  dead.  Act  likewise  with  reference  to 
the  abnormal  fear  and  dread  of  insects  and  snakes  which  so 
many  people  experience.  If  you  have  cured  the  fear  of  one 
dreaded  beast,  you  have  done  much  to  remove  the  fear  of  all 
others. 

The  author  had  a  friend  who  would  almost  have  a  spasm  on 
seeing  a  reptile.  We  induced  this  fear-ridden  person  to  go 
with  us  one  day  to  a  certain  drug  store  in  San  Francisco  where 
some  ten  or  fifteen  living  snakes  were  on  exhibition  in  the 
front  window.  It  was  a  difficult  ordeal  for  our  friend;  but 
the  watching  of  these  reptiles   for  three-quarters  of  an  hour 


THE  CURE  OF  WORRY  375 

was  sufficient  effectually  to  cure  that  horrible  dread  of  creeping 
and  crawling  things,  and  ever  since  this  person  has  been  able 
to  look  at  snakes  without  experiencing  the  least  sensation  of 
fear  or  feeling  of  terror. 

DISCOUNTING    FEAR    AND    SENSATION 

It  is  a  good  habit  to  form,  systematically  and  persistently  to 
practise  sensation-neglect,  if  the  causes  of  your  worry  are 
certain  physical  conditions.  If  your  worries  are  of  a  moral  or 
a  family  nature,  make  your  peace  with  God  and  your  fellow- 
men,  and  then  practise  a  little  common  sense.  The  employ- 
ment of  a  great  and  good  motive  will  do  a  great  deal  to  drive 
worry  out  of  your  experience. 

The  majority  of  our  fears  and  many  of  our  sensations  should 
be  liberally  discounted.  We  should  not  form  the  habit  of  tak- 
ing our  emotions  and  feelings  too  seriously.  They  are  very 
liable  to  impose  upon  us,  unduly  to  alarm  and  frighten  us. 
Even  if  we  find  it  exceedingly  difficult  to  exercise  control  over 
our  own  fears  and  worries,  let  us  at  least  succeed  in  meeting 
the  fears  and  anxieties  of  our  associates  without  appropriating 
them  to  ourselves  or  otherwise  echoing  them. 

Never  resist  worry  as  such.  It  is  increased  many  times  by 
all  effort  to  overcome  it  in  this  manner.  The  strain  of  the 
effort  makes  it  increasingly  difficult  to  drop  the  strain  of  the 
worry.  Do  not  dignify  every  little  petty  fear  with  so  much 
attention.  Learn  liberally  to  discount  all  your  fears,  emotions, 
sensations,  and  worries.  In  all  the  realms  of  human  experience 
there  are  to  be  found  no  greater  deceivers  than  these  imps  of 
false  fear  and  sham  feeling.  Even  much  that  passes  for  re- 
ligious experience  is  nothing  more  or  less  than  sham  emotion, 
psychological  deception. 

Another  illustration  of  how  easy  it  is  to  overestimate  the 
value  of  our  fears  and  apprehensions  is  shown  in  the 
excitement  and  consternation  which  prevail  in  some  homes 
when  a  thunderstorm  is  approaching,  especially  if  the  lightning 
is  severe.  The  mother  becomes  panic-stricken,  her  face  as- 
sumes a  frightened  expression,  and  she  begins  to  gather  the 
children  around  her  in  one  corner  of  the  room  —  or  may  be  in 
a   closet  — where  they   pass  the  time   in   fear   and  trembling, 


376       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

momentarily  expecting  to  be  hurled  into  eternity  by  a  malicious 
bolt  from  the  skies.  And  so  from  infancy,  most  children  are 
led  to  look  upon  the  elemental  forces  of  nature  with  fear  and  ter- 
ror, when  they  might  have  been  taught  the  beauties  and  grand- 
eur of  nature's  powers. 

*^  MINIMIZING    DIFFICULTIES 

Most  of  us  need  to  practise  the  art  of  minimizing  our  diffi- 
culties. Do  not  look  at  your  obstacles  with  a  magnifying  glass. 
Make  up  your  mind  that  in  many  instances  you  will  be  able  to 
rise  triumphant  over  apparent  defeat  and  to  move  right  on  in  the 
even  tenor  of  your  way.  Do  not  become  greatly  disturbed  by 
the  little  ripples  of  life  which  pass  through  your  experience 
from  day  to  day.  Practise  taking  your  own  good  advice  and 
all  the  suggestions  you  give  to  other  people  about  not  worrying. 
Don't  forget  to  use  them  yourself. 

"  You  may  learn,"  says  Dr.  William  Osier,  "  to  consume 
your  own  smoke.  The  atmosphere  is  darkened  by  the  mur- 
murings  and  whimperings  of  men  and  women  over  the  non- 
essentials, the  trifles  that  are  inevitably  incident  to  the 
hurly-burly  of  the  day's  routine."  Let  us  learn  to  live  only  one 
^day  at  a  time.  You  need  not  live  your  past  life  over  every  day. 
It  is  not  necessary  for  you  to  borrow  trouble  from  the  future. 
Lincoln  used  to  say  of  his  troubles,  "  And  this  too,  will  pass." 
There  is  a  good  deal  of  common  sense  in  that  saying  of  the 
street :     "  Never  trouble  trouble,  till  trouble  troubles  you." 

Begin  to  pin  your  worries  down  to  definite  facts.  Most  of 
our  difficulties  are  vague  and  indefinite.  Many  of  our  fears 
and  worries  are  wholly  imaginary.  Make  a  practice  of  writing 
down  in  black  and  white  the  objects  of  your  worry.  The 
process  of  writing  them  down  will  usually  disclose  their  ab- 
surdity and  assist  in  the  work  of  overcoming  them. 

REAL   WORRY   AND  FICTITIOUS   WORRY 

If  one  is  suffering  from  fictitious  worry,  all  that  is  necessary 
is  to  make  a  declaration  of  emancipation.  Formally  publish 
[  to  your  own  soul  that  you  are  free  from  these  vexing  delusions 
and  destructive  imaginations.  Recognize  that  your  worry  is 
usually  about  unreal  situations;  that  even  if  they  were  real, 
further  worry  would  only  be  useless  —  it  would  only  make  a 


THE  CURE  OF  WORRY  377 

bad  matter  worse;  resolve  to  cease  worrying  and  follow  up 
your  resolution  so  carefully  as  really  to  do  it. 

Now,  we  might  just  as  well  differentiate  here  between  the 
honest  man  who  is  trying  to  overcome  worry  and  yet  con- 
scientiously perform  his  duties  to  the  world,  and  the  common 
ne'er-do-well,  who  neither  worries  nor  thinks.  A  happy-go- 
lucky  sort  of  creature  is  he,  caring  neither  for  his  own  progress 
nor  for  the  progress  and  betterment  of  the  world.  He  drifts 
with  the  stream  of  time,  taking  everything  just  as  it  comes. 
We  do  not  make  a  plea  for  the  development  of  such  as  he.  We 
recognize  the  necessity  for  thought,  deliberation,  meditation, 
for  carefully  weighing  one's  problems  and  difficulties.  We  be- 
lieve in  the  considerate  attention  that  belongs  to  every  worthy 
problem.  It  is  the  "  spasm  of  the  attention,"  that  chronic  mental 
state  resulting  from  long-continued  fret  and  distrust,  doubt 
and  despair,  for  which  we  are  seeking  relief. 

If  we  can't  get  rid  of  these  fictitious  worries  by  any  other 
method,  we  might  try  the  old  plan  of  selecting  one  hundred 
beans,  and  as  the  beans  are  dropped  one  by  one  into  a  bag, 
repeat  the  following :  "  The  worry  is  in  the  bean  and  the  bean 
is  in  the  bag." 

LEARNING  TO    TRUST    NATURE 

How  long  will  it  take  humanity  to  learn  to  trust  Mother  Na- 
ture? Having  done  our  part  in  the  scheme  of  life,  how  long 
will  it  be  before  we  can  quietly  and  confidently  depend  on 
Nature  to  do  the  rest?  Think  health  thoughts  instead  of  dis- 
ease thoughts.  Take  your  mind  off  your  diseases,  your  aches 
and  pains.  Have  the  mind  dwell  upon  the  wonderful  provis- 
ions which  Nature  affords  for  regaining  health.  Think  of  the 
fresh  air,  pure  water,  good  food,  and  engage  in  exercise  of 
the  body.  Come  close  to  Nature  herself  and  replace  the 
thoughts  of  disease  with  a  mental  current  bearing  messages 
of  health  and  strength.  Exercise  good  emotions,  even  if  you 
have  to  put  them  on  for  the  time  being,  and  you  will  joyfully 
discover  that  ere  long  you  have  actually  become  what  you  at 
one  time  had  to  pretend  to  be. 

Let  the  servants  of  worry  and  the  victims  of  grief  turn  their 
efforts  toward  the  cultivation  of  health.     Let  the  mind  be  occu- 


378       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

pied  with  health  efforts  in  the  place  of  anxiety  and  evil  fore- 
boding. Give  attention  to  the  cultivation  of  health,  and  little 
time  will  be  left  for  sorrow  and  sadness. 

For  instance,  take  those  nervous  beings  who  do  not  sleep 
well.  All  day  long  they  fear  they  will  not  be  able  to  sleep. 
As  night  approaches,  they  become  more  and  more  convinced 
they  will  not  be  able  to  sleep.  They  go  to  bed  with  the  settled 
conviction  that  they  will  not  go  to  sleep.  Now,  such  persons,  in 
addition  to  baths  and  other  proper  physical  treatment,  will  do 
well  to  go  to  bed  with  the  idea  uppermost  in  their  minds  that 
they  will  sleep,  and  not  care  at  all  if  they  do  not  sleep.  This  will 
relieve  the  mental  tension,  partially  remove  the  anxiety,  effec- 
tually destroy  the  state  of  worry,  and  help  a  great  deal  in  pro- 
ducing natural  sleep. 

In  your  efforts  to  overcome  worry  and  regain  a  natural  men- 
tal equilibrium,  suggest  to  yourself  thoughts  of  health  and 
peace  at  the  retiring  time  —  just  before  you  go  to  sleep  —  and 
let  these  thoughts  rest  in  the  mind  as  a  part  of  yourself  while 
you  sleep.  This  self-suggestion  to  the  mind  is  of  great  value, 
as  evidenced  by  the  experience  of  many  persons  who  can  re- 
solve, just  before  falling  to  sleep,  to  wake  up  at  a  certain  time, 
and  in  the  vast  majority  of  instances,  they  are  able  to  wake  up 
at  just  the  time  settled  upon  in  their  suggestion. 

COMBAT    SELFISHNESS 

The  mind  must  be  taken  off  self-interests  if  we  would 
strengthen  it  and  prepare  it  for  deliverance  from  worry. 
There  are  three  things  essential  to  the  ideal  mental  state : 

1.  Do  everything  possible  to  lessen  self-consciousness  and 
direct  thought  of  yourself. 

2.  Make  a  positive  effort  to  externalize  your  thoughts;  that 
is,  think  of  others  and  the  great  creation  of  God  —  everything 
possible  outside  of  yourself  and  your  own  interests, 

3.  Widen  your  field  of  vision,  and  broaden  the  sphere  of 
your  interests;  take  up  new  lines  of  study;  take  an  interest  in 
new  people;  spread  out  the  scope  of  your  mental  action. 

We  know  a  great  many  people  who  have  cured  themselves 
of  chronic  worry  and  despondency  by  simply  enlisting  in  "  the 
cheering-up  business,"  going  about  systematically  and  persist- 


THE  CURE  OF  WORRY  379 

ently  cheering  other  people  up.  A  constant  effort  to  help  other 
people  to  cease  worrying  is  sure  to  react  favorably  upon  our- 
selves and  prove  of  great  assistance  in  our  battle  to  banish 
fear  thought  and  worry. 

Laughter  and  light-heartedness  seem  to  be  of  real  value  in 
the  treatment  of  these  melancholic  subjects  of  chronic  fear. 
They  seem  to  serve  the  purpose  of  relieving  the  "  attention 
spasm  " ;  they  get  the  mind  off  itself  for  a  moment,  and  con- 
tribute greatly  to  one's  ability  to  take  up  a  new  line  of  thought. 

THE    ART    OF    LIVING    EASY 

The  unfortunate  victims  of  worry  are  much  influenced  by 
the  society  in  which  they  move.  They  should  make  up  their 
minds  to  get  along  the  best  they  can  with  their  friends  and 
associates.  Cultivate  the  art  of  living  with  yourself  as  you  are, 
and  with  the  world  as  it  is.  Train  yourself  to  pay  more  atten- 
tion to  the  value  of  what  you  are  doing  and  how  you  are  doing 
it,  than  to  how  you  are  feeling  or  what  you  have  done  in  the 
past.  Make  every  reasonable  effort  to  live  within  your  income. 
Avoid  debts;  they  always  generate  worry.  The  mortgage  is 
bound  to  harass  the  mind  and  reflexly  lower  the  vital  resist- 
ance of  the  body.  Do  not  borrow  unless  for  business  necessity 
or  safe  investment. 

The  nation  once  had  a  strenuous  president,  who  explained 
his  good  health  in  the  face  of  hard  work,  by  saying,  "  I  like  my 
job."  Make  up  your  mind  that  you  will  either  like  your  present 
job  or  else  immediately  abandon  it  and  get  one  you  can  or  will 
like.  Contentment  with  daily  toil,  satisfaction  with  one's  reg- 
ular employment,  is  a  great  aid  in  dispelling  worry. 

Cultivate  the  society  of  children  and  cheerful  adults. 
There  is  many  a  chronic  worrier  about  the  home  who  would 
be  cured  by  the  advent  or  the  adoption  of  a  bright-faced  baby. 
Their  light-hearted  freedom  from  care  and  worry  is  contagious, 
and  the  men  and  women  who  live  with  them  find  it  easier  to 
live  the  faith  life  in  the  place  of  the  fear  life. 

It  is  a  good  thing  to  cultivate  the  ability  to  forget  some 
things  as  well  as  the  ability  to  remember  others.  It  is  this 
temporary  forgetfulness  of  the  burdensome  routine  of  life  that 
gives  one  such  happiness  of  mind  and  health  of  body  during  a 


38o       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

holiday  or  the  time  spent  on  a  vacation.  At  such  times  the 
mind  is  comparatively  free  from  worry,  and  this  undoubtedly 
contributes  much  to  the  sum  of  physical  benefits  received. 
(See  Fig.  31.) 

It  is  also  a  good  plan  to  practise  sleeping  over  things  before 
you  take  them  too  seriously.  Many  difficulties  will  be  found 
to  adjust  themselves  more  hopefully  if  left  alone  over  night, 
and  then  after  all,  even  when  things  seem  to  be  at  their  worst, 
when,  as  you  say,  "  It  never  rains  but  it  pours,"  even  then  you 
can  console  yourself  with  the  old  lady's  philosophy,  that,  after 
all,  "  maybe  it  ain't  so." 

THE    MORAL   NUTRITION 

Some  one  has  suggested  that  worry  should  be  treated  by 
dogma  and  not  by  drugs,  and  this  is  good  advice  so  far  as  it 
goes.  The  author  regards  the  Christian  religion  as  the  ideal 
system  of  mind  treatment  —  a  real  and  efficient  system  of  psy- 
chotherapy. Prayer  is  the  most  powerful  and  effectual  worry- 
remover  with  which  we  are  acquainted.  That  man  or  woman 
who  has  learned  to  pray  with  childlike  sincerity,  literally  talk- 
ing to  and  communing  with,  the  Heavenly  Father,  is  in  pos- 
session of  the  great  secret  whereby  he  or  she  can  cast  all  their 
care  upon  God,  knowing  that  He  careth  for  us.  A  clear  con- 
science is  a  great  step  toward  barricading  the  mind  against  the 
entrance  of  worry.  A  moral  taint  of  whatever  sort  is  bound 
to  breed  mental  uneasiness  and  result  in  destroying  perfect  bal- 
ance and  poise  of  mind. 

We  believe  many  are  victims  of  fear  and  worry  because  they 
fail  properly  to  maintain  their  spiritual  nutrition.  As  our 
perceptions,  memories,  emotions,  and  thoughts  control  our 
bodies,  so  our  unthought  aspirations,  our  unsatisfied  spiritual 
yearnings  for  those  things  that  are,  but  for  us,  perhaps,  not  yet 
—  those  indefinable  experiences  within  us,  which,  taken  all 
together,  we  commonly  call  the  soul  —  these  in  turn  contribute 
balance,  direction,  and  inspiration  to  our  intellectual  powers. 
The  majority  of  people  liberally  feed  their  bodies,  and  many 
make  generous  provision  for  their  mental  nourishment ;  but  the 
vast  majority  leave  the  soul  to  starve,  paying  very  little  atten- 
tion to  their  spiritual  nutrition,  and  as  a  result  the  spiritual 


■^  IN  A\ 


FIG.51.    VACATIONS  ^DESTROY  WORRY. 


5  '^  r:  ''v:^:    '  ^. 


THE  CURE  OF  WORRY  381 

nature  is  so  weakened  that  it  is  unable  to  exercise  that  restrain- 
ing influence  over  the  mind  which  would  enable  it  to  surmount 
its  difficulties  and  live  in  an  atmosphere  above  despair  and 
despondency. 

We  believe  that  perfect  trust  in  a  Supreme  Being  is  one  of 
the  essential  steps  in  the  successful  treatment  and  effectual 
deliverance  from  the  bondage  of  worry.  If  your  religion 
does  not  help  you  in  these  matters,  if  it  does  not  change  you, 
then  it  would  be  better  to  change  your  religion  and  get  one  that 
does. 

Gladstone  was  once  asked  what  kept  him  so  serene  and  com- 
posed in  the  midst  of  his  busy  life;  he  replied:  "At  the  foot 
of  my  bed,  where  I  can  see  it  on  retiring  and  on  arising  in  the 
morning,  are  the  words,  *  Thou  wilt  keep  him  in  perfect  peace 
whose  mind  is  stayed  on  Thee,  because  he  trusteth  in  Thee.' " 
There  is  good  mental  therapeutics  in  that  old  method,  called 
the  "  practice  of  the  presence  of  God." 

THE    DELUSION    OF    DRUGS 

We  are  aware  that  there  are  many  drugs  the  use  of  which 
affords  temporary  relief  from  worry,  but  it  must  be  remem- 
bered that  when  worry  is  cast  out  by  drugs,  like  the  demon  of 
old  it  is  sure  to  return  ere  long,  with  seven  devils  more  wicked 
than  itself.  We  should  be  slow  to  employ  drugs  to  help  us  over 
our  mental  harassments  or  physical  sufferings.  A  settled  state 
of  mind  will  aid  much  in  helping  us  to  endure  either  suffering 
of  mind  or  pain  in  body. 

The  numerous  false  methods  of  mind  cure  (fraudulent 
psychotherapy,  including  the  common  employment  of  hypno- 
tism for  the  cure  of  worry)  may  very  correctly  be  looked  upon 
as  constituting  a  class  of  mental  drugs,  psychic  deceivers,  pro- 
cedures calculated  to  relieve  mental  symptoms  and  allay 
psychic  suffering  temporarily,  without  in  any  way  removing 
the  causes  of  worry,  or  curing  the  real  mental  malady.  Hypno- 
tism will  be  fully  considered  in  another  chapter;  but  we  would 
here  emphasize  the  uselessness  of  this  practice  as  a  permanent 
cure  for  worry  and  its  mental  cousins. 

Every  new  religion  has  been  invented  directly  or  indirectly 
to  cure  worry  and  its  consequences;  and  every  self-respecting 


382       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

man  should  see  to  it  that  he  preserves  his  own  intellectual  free- 
dom and  chastity  in  the  effort  to  overcome  worry.  Do  not 
resort  to  these  deceptions  and  delusions.  In  reality  they  are 
mental  drugs  and  will  debilitate  the  mind  just  as  literal  poisons 
will  deteriorate  the  body.  Remember  that  while  false  faith 
will  bring  a  physical  reward,  it  is  bound  to  bring  moral  disap- 
pointment and  spiritual  disaster.  It  should  be  remembered  that 
hypnotism  is  only  symptomatic  treatment;  it  does  not  remove 
the  cause,  and  all  efforts  of  mind  healing  which  involve  mental 
surrender  to  any  but  the  Supreme  Being,  are  fundamentally 
wrong  and  cannot  afford  true  and  permanent  relief.  Fraud- 
ulent suggestion  or  mental  deception  is  just  the  same,  no  matter 
by  what  name  it  is  called. 

Just  as  morphine  immediately  relieves  physical  pain,  so  all 
these  cures  are  temporary,  superficial,  and  ungenuine. 

CULTIVATE    THE    PHYSICAL    HEALTH 

Careful  observation  has  taught  us  that  the  less  attention  we 
pay  to  the  function  of  any  organ  in  the  body,  the  more  regular 
and  healthful  it  becomes  in  its  action.  That  is  why  dyspeptics 
should  never  engage  in  the  discussion  of  diet  at  meal-time. 
If  you  want  the  stomach  to  do  regular  work  and  good  work, 
keep  your  mind  off  it  when  it  has  food  in  it.  Do  all  your  study 
of  diet  between  meals,  and  at  the  table  never  think  of  your 
stomach. 

There  is  one  cause  for  worry  which  might  be  considered 
in  this  connection,  and  that  is  the  conscious  violation  of  the 
laws  of  life.  This  is  a  rightful  and  sufficient  cause  for  worry- 
ing. A  man  should  not  expect  peace  if  he  lives  in  deliberate 
sin.  Both  the  mental  and  physical  consciences  will  torment 
him,  and  they  ought  to.  The  transgressor  will  have  a  hard 
time  overcoming  worry  and  finding  happiness.  The  pleasures 
of  sin  contain  the  sting  of  remorse. 

In  the  battle  against  worry,  every  effort  should  be  made  to 
promote  good  digestion,  and  it  is  imperative  that  chronic  con- 
stipation be  removed.     Combat  portal  congestion  or  stagnation 
I   of  blood  in  the  liver  by  making  frequent  pressure   over   the 
I  abdomen  or  wearing  a  moist  abdominal  bandage  at  night,  cov- 
l  ered   with   waterproof   and   with   dry   flannel  on   the  outside. 


il 


THE  CURE  OF  WORRY  383 

Engage  in  exercises  for  the  strengthening  of  the  abdominal 
muscles.  Years  ago,  Doctor  Abrams  called  attention  to  the 
fact  that  the  "  blues  "  were  due  to  congestion  of  blood  in  the 
abdominal  vessels  associated  with  the  liver. 

An  effort  should  be  made,  by  proper  bathing,  to  keep  the 
blood  circulating  in  the  skin.  Drink  two  quarts  of  water  a 
day  (not  at  meal-time)  and  obtain  suitable  medical  treatment 
and  advice  for  any  real  disease  you  may  have.  Cold  baths  and 
rubbing  of  the  body  are  also  of  great  value  because  of  their 
influence  upon  the  general  nervous  system,  and  more  partic- 
ularly because  they  flush  the  brain  and  increase  the  circulation 
of  the  blood  about  the  worried  nerve  cells.  Deep-breathing 
exercises  accomplish  the  same  purpose.  It  is  a  crime  for 
those  who  are  victims  of  worry  and  despondency  to  sleep  in 
close,  stuffy  bedrooms.  They  should  come  as  near  sleeping 
outdoors  as  possible. 

Games  and  other  competitive  exercises  are  all  good  in  their 
place,  but  we  have  seen  cases  where  they  have  generated  what 
some  one  has  termed  "  mock  worries  " ;  that  is,  there  is  constant 
excitement  and  worry  over  the  fear  of  being  beaten  in  the 
contest,  which  produces  much  annoyance  and  harmful  anxiety. 

THE  LIFE   OF  THE   GOLDEN    RULE 

If  you  would  be  successful  in  completely  and  finally  over- 
coming worry,  do  something  helpful  for  your  neighbor  now  and 
then.  Remember  the  Golden  Rule.  Do  not  allow  your  own 
artificial  needs  to  accumulate  unnecessarily  and  demand  all 
your  time.  Reserve  a  little  energy  for  Good-Samaritan  work, 
and  you  will  finish  the  day's  tasks  refreshed  and  satisfied  instead 
of  hungry,  thirsty,  and  dissatisfied. 

To  sum  up:  All  chronic  worriers  should  see  to  it  that  they 
have  the  following: 

1.  Active  mental  and  physical  employment;  in  other  words, 
a  good  job. 

2.  They  should  have  regular  and  healthful  recreation;  in 
other  words,  a  good  fad. 

3.  They  should  have  suitable  and  regular  spiritual  nourish- 
ment; in  other  words,  a  good  religion. 

Professor  James  says :     "  The  sovereign  cure  for  worry  is 


384       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

religious  faith.  The  turbulent  billows  of  the  fretful  surface 
leave  the  deep  parts  of  the  ocean  undisturbed;  and  to  him 
who  has  a  hold  of  vaster  and  more  permanent  realities,  the 
hourly  vicissitudes  of  his  personal  destiny  seem  relatively  in- 
significant things." 

Of  all  things,  do  not  make  the  mistake  of  worrying  now  be- 
cause you  have  worried  in  the  past.  Do  not  be  so  shortsighted 
as  to  worry  over  your  worries.  Watch  your  habitual  expres- 
sion and  cultivate  one  that  is  cheerful  and  happy.  It  will 
react  on  the  mind  and  greatly  help  you  in  the  battle  against 
worry. 

SUMMARY  OF   THE   CHAPTER 

1.  The  fundamental  requirement  for  the  successful  treatment 
I      of  worry  is  the  restoration  of  legitimate  confidence  in  yourself, 

and  the  development  of  faith  in  your  friends  and  associates. 

2.  Suggestion  is  of  great  value  in  combating  worry.  All 
methods  of  sympathy,  suggestion,  and  advice  to  mental  sufferers 

-..      should  be  based  on  truth,  free  from  falsity  and  deception. 
\  3.  Suggestion  is  the  key  that  unlocks  many  a  medical  mystery 

and  explains  the  cure  of  mental  diseases  in  all  ages  and  by  a 
thousand  different  methods.  The  physical  effects  of  suggestion 
I  are  the  same,  regardless  of  their  truth  or  falsity. 
I  4.  Train  the  mind  to  think  positive  thoughts.  Replace  worry 
I  thought  with  an  opposite  thought  which  will  occupy  the  mind 
I  and  enthuse  the  soul.  Drive  out  fear  thought  by  exercising 
\      faith  thought. 

\         5.  The  secret  of  the  treatment  of  worry  is  the  practice  of 
j     self-control.     Purpose    to   be   a    brave   captain   of   your    own 
I     mind.     Summon   all   possible   spiritual   help,   moral   resolution, 
■     and  mental  decision. 

I  6.  Fear  thought  is  the  ancestor  of  worry.  Some  people  can 
J.  be  reasoned  out  of  their  fears,  others  can  be  cured  by  ridicule. 
{  Still  others  are  only  cured  of  certain  fears  by  directly  chal- 
';   lenging  their  fear  and  fighting  it  out  to  a  finish  in  one  grand 

struggle. 
I       7.  The  majority  of  our  fears  and  many  of  our  worries  should 
i  be  liberally  discounted.     The  strain  of  effort  employed  in  re- 
sisting worry  makes  it  increasingly  difficult  to  drop  the  strain 


THE  CURE  OF  WORRY  385 

of    our    fears.      Do    not    dignify    petty    fears    with    so    much 

attention. 

".    8.  Learn  to  minimize  your  difficulties.     Don't  look  at  obsta- 

i^cles  with  a  magnifying  glass.     "  Learn  to  consume  your  own 
smoke."     "  Never   trouble   trouble,   till    trouble   troubles   you." 
9.  Make  a  "  declaration  of  emancipation  "  in  your  own  soul 
\  against    fictitious    worry.     We    fight    fear    thought,    not    fore- 
'  thought.      Exercise    good    emotions  —  after   a   while   you    will 
actually  become  what  you  now  pretend  to  be. 

10.  Learn  to  trust  Nature.  Sow  the  seeds  of  health,  then 
let  the  harvest  rest  with  Mother  Nature.  Go  to  bed  expecting 
to  sleep,  but  not  caring  if  you  don't.  This  indifference  is  often 
successful  in  producing  sleep. 

11.  Combat  selfishness.  Lessen  self-consciousness,  external- 
ize the  thoughts,  and  broaden  your  interests.  Enlist  actively 
in  "  the  cheering-up  business." 

12.  Cultivate  the  art  of  living  with  yourself  as  you  are,  and 
with  the  world  as  it  is.  Learn  the  art  of  living  easily.  Learn 
to  "  like  your  job."  Associate  with  children  and  learn  how  to 
forget  the  vexing  trifles  of  everyday  life. 

13.  It  is  a  good  plan  to  practise  sleeping  over  things  before 
taking  them  too  seriously.  Worry  should  be  treated  with 
dogma  and  not  by  drugs. 

i  14.  The  Christian  religion  is  an  ideal  system  of  mind  treat- 
Iment  for  chronic  worry.  Prayer  is  the  most  powerful  and 
'^effectual  worry-remover  with  which  we  are  acquainted. 

15.  Much  worry  is  due  to  a  failure  to  feed  the  spiritual  man. 
Perfect  trust  in  the  Supreme  Being  is  one  of  the  essential  fac- 
tors in  the  prevention  and  cure  of  worry. 

16.  When  worry  is  cast  out  by  drugs,  like  the  demon  of  old, 
it  is  sure  to  return  with  seven  devils  worse  than  itself.  Hyp- 
notism and  other  false  methods  of  curing  worry  may  be  re- 
garded as  a  species  of  mental  drugs  —  psychic  morphine. 
Every  new  religion  has  been  invented  to  cure  worry  and  its 
consequences. 

17.  The  less  attention  we  pay  to  the  functions  of  any  organ 
in  the  body,  the  more  regular  and  healthful  it  becomes  in  its 
action.     Keep  the  mind  off  the  stomach  when  it  has  food  in  it. 


386       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

i8.  In  the  battle  against  worry  don't  forget  to  cultivate  the 
physical  health.  Give  attention  to  digestion,  constipation,  diet, 
water-drinking,  deep-breathing  exercises,  and  regular  bathing. 
The  "  blues  "  result  from  congestion  of  the  liver. 

19.  Live  according  to  the  Golden  Rule  —  reserve  a  little 
energy  for  Good-Samaritan  work.  Don't  work  all  the  time 
for  yourself.  Have  these  three  things:  A  good  job,  a  good 
fad,  and  a  good  religion. 

20.  Lastly,  don't  make  the  mistake  of  worrying  because  you 
have  worried.     Cultivate  a  cheerful  habitual  expression. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV 

NERVOUSNESS  AND  RELAXATION 

What  is  nervousness?  —  The  neurasthenic. —  The  psy- 
chasthenic.—  The  hysteric. —  The  hypochondriac. — 
The  insomniac. —  The  fidgety  state. —  Nervous  temper. 
— The  fatigue  state. —  Extravagant  tension. —  "  Getting 
ON  the  nerves."  —  False  sympathy  and  selfishness. — 
Needless    hurry    and    useless    rush. —  The    practice    of 

NERVOUS  CONTROL. —  ThE  GOSPEL  OF  RELAXATION. —  RELAXA- 
TION versus  resistance. —  Harmonizing  with  environment. 
—  The  happiness  habit. —  Methods  of  treatment. —  Sum- 
mary OF  the  chapter. 

THE  civilized  nations  are  becoming  more  and  more  afflicted 
with  nervousness,  nervous  tension,  neurasthenia,  and 
nervous  prostration.  During  the  last  twenty-five  years 
these  various  nervous  disorders  have  multiplied  enormously. 
It  must  be  recognized  that  certain  physical  transgressions  are 
indirectly  concerned  in  this  tremendous  increase  of  nervous 
diseases,  nevertheless,  a  careful  study  of  these  nerve  disorders 
serves  to  demonstrate  that  the  psychic  state  is,  in  all  proba- 
bility, the  chief  contributing  agency  concerned  in  the  produc- 
tion and  perpetuation  of  these  manifold  nervous  disturbances 
and  mental  maladies  included  in  the  general  term  of 
nervousness. 

WHAT   IS  NERVOUSNESS? 

That  physical  and  mental  condition  commonly  known  as 
nervousness  can  hardly  be  called  a  disease.  It  is  rather  a 
condition  —  a  state  of  mind  and  body  due  to  a  combination  of 
over-stimulation  and  under-control  of  the  nervous  system. 
Many  conditions  of  so-called  nervousness  are  primarily  due 
to  indigestion   and  auto-intoxication,  which   result  in  greatly 

387 


388       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

irritating  the  nerves  and  the  nerve  centres.  These  poisoned 
and  irritated  nerves  are  in  turn  subjected  to  overstrain;  and  this 
high  tension  is  responsible  for  that  complex  and  troublesome 
disorder  called  nervousness. 

The  majority  of  healthy  people  are  more  or  less  nervous 
from  time  to  time,  but,  as  a  rule,  a  night's  sleep  is  able  fully 
to  remove  the  difficulty.  In  the  case  of  certain  high-strung 
persons  this  nervous  condition  becomes  highly  acute,  they  be- 
come wrought  up  to  the  last  degree,  and  when  this  nervous 
state  is  long  continued,  we  may  have  a  general  collapse,  a  con- 
stitutional breakdown,  resulting  in  that  condition  commonly 
known  as  nervous  exhaustion,  nervous  prostration,  neu- 
rasthenia. The  two  great  sins  of  our  modern  civilization  are 
our  atrocious  dietetic  practices  and  the  increasing  tendency  to 
live  "on  our  nerves." 

Nervousness  is  by  no  means  limited,  as  some  seem  to  think, 
to  the  rich  and  the  well-to-do.  Our  clinics  are  thronged  with 
day  laborers,  factory  hands,  and  servant  girls,  to  say  nothing 
of  sedentary  workers  such  as  stenographers  and  teachers,  all 
of  whom  are  suffering  from  nervousness.  This  condition  is 
common  to  all  classes  of  society,  and  we  are  forced  to  look 
upon  it  as  consisting  of  two  factors:  first,  the  excessive  ex- 
citability of  the  nervous  system,  due,  in  many  cases,  to  a  toxic 
condition  of  the  blood  stream,  resulting  from  insufficient  exer- 
cise, and  constipation;  and,  in  the  second  place,  the  imperfect 
control  of  the  nervous  system  on  the  part  of  the  brain  and 
higher  nervous  centres.  Either  of  these  conditions  can  produce 
nervousness;  in  a  majority  of  cases,  they  are  found  combined 
in  varying  proportions. 

The  majority  of  this  nervousness  is,  therefore,  founded  on 
nervous  irritation,  overstrain,  and  lack  of  control.  The  imme- 
diate or  exciting  cause  may  be  nothing  more  or  less  than  a 
monotonous  or  tedious  mode  of  life,  chronic  worry,  a  disposi- 
tion to  magnify  small  difficulties  and  exaggerate  trivial  bodily 
sensations,  or  it  may  be  an  undue  tendency  to  give  way  to  the 
emotions,  to  indulge  in  outbursts  of  anger.  When  a  group  of 
any  of  these  influences  have  long  acted  upon  the  nervous 
system,  they  are  bound  so  to  change  both  the  habits  of  mind 


NERVOUSNESS  AND  RELAXATION  389 

and  body  as  to  result  in  the  production  of  nervousness  of  vary- 
ing intensity  and  severity. 

This  general  state  of  nervousness  may  be  more  specifically 
defined  or  made  to  include  the  following  forms  of  common 
nervous  disturbances  which  are  more  or  less   familiar  to  all : 

1.  The  neurasthenic.  Neurasthenia  is  an  exhaustion  of  nerv- 
ous energy  giving  rise  to  a  chronic  sense  of  fatigue,  fleeting 
pains,  abnormal  sensations,  mental  instability,  and  moral 
vacillation.  Sooner  or  later,  there  is  developed  the  well-known 
"habit  fatigue"  —  a  fictitious  weariness  which  is  in  no  sense 
relieved  by  rest  and  sleep.  The  one  uniform  and  unchanging 
symptom  is  chronic  worry. 

2.  The  psychasthenic.  This  word  has  been  coined  recently 
to  describe  certain  cases  of  nervous  exhaustion  which  are 
largely,  if  not  wholly,  due  to  psychic  disturbances,  the  physical 
state  of  the  patient  having  but  little  to  do  with  the  prevailing 
nervous  weakness  and  melancholic  tendencies.  The  patient  is 
filled  with  fears,  dreads,  and  obsessions. 

3.  The  hysteric.  As  a  result  of  disease  or  from  birth,  hys- 
terical patients  are  highly  suggestible;  any  transient  idea,  emo- 
tion, or  sensation  may  gain  an  overpowering  mastery  of  the 
nervous  system,  producing  adept  imitations  of  various  bodily 
diseases  and  numerous  physical  disorders. 

4.  The  hypochondriac.  Sufferers  from  hypochondria  have 
become  personifications  of  their  long-entertained  fears;  worry 
has  become  second  nature  to  them.  They  live  in  everlasting 
fear  of  disease,  and  are  usually  exceedingly  melancholic. 

5.  The  insomniac.  The  victim  of  insomnia  exists  in  constant 
fear  of  sleeplessness.  In  his  own  mind,  he  lives  "  without  hope 
and  without  sleep."  He  spends  every  waking  moment  in  doubt- 
ing his  ability  to  sleep  when  he  goes  to  bed  at  night. 

THE  FIDGETY   STATE 

Most  of  these  nervous  people  live  in  a  state  of  constant  agi- 
tation. It  seems  impossible  for  them  to  keep  still  for  even  a 
short  time.  The  entire  body  seems  to  be  working  under  a  con- 
tinual nervous  lash.  The  vital  powers  are  driven  at  a  ruinous 
pace,  while  the  energies  of  mind  and  body  are  dissipated 
with    a    lavish    and    extravagant    hand;    the    energy    granules 


390       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

of  the  nerve  centres  are  being  used  up  to  no  useful  purpose. 
There  is  a  tremendous  waste  of  fuel  and  energy  in  these  various 
useless  movements  on  the  part  of  the  human  machine. 

It  must  be  admitted  that  many  nervous  persons,  especially 
nervous  women,  reach  that  place  where  they  actually  seem  to 
enjoy  this  continual  state  of  nervous  agitation.  They  are 
never  happy  except  when  they  are  excited  and  fidgety.  To  make 
them  keep  still  would  be  equivalent  to  compelling  them  to  serve 
a  prison  sentence  in  solitary  confinement.  It  is  almost  impos- 
sible for  some  victims  of  the  fidgety  state  to  concentrate  the 
mind  for  five  minutes  without  straining  every  nerve  and  muscle 
in  their  bodies,  without  clinching  their  fists  and  making  their 
muscles  rigid.  In  this  way,  a  vast  quantity  of  nervous  and 
muscular  energy  is  dissipated  at  a  hundred  points  where  it 
might  be  saved.  Such  persons  are  the  most  extravagant  think- 
ers and  workers  in  the  world.  A  minimum  of  mental  and 
nervous  work  is  bound  to  result  in  a  maximum  of  mental  wear- 
iness and  physical  fatigue. 

The  human  body,  when  functionating  normally,  is  the  most 
economical  engine  in  the  world;  that  is,  the  same  amount  of 
fuel  will  produce  more  heat  and  energy  in  the  bodily  engine 
than  in  any  other  engine;  but  it  is  not  so  in  the  case  of  ner- 
vousness; here  the  body  becomes  an  exceedingly  extravagant 
and  wasteful  mechanism. 

NERVOUS    TEMPER 

The  culmination  of  nervous  irritation  and  lack  of  nervous 
control  is  seen  in  the  case  of  acute  anger.  Both  the  circula- 
tory and  nervous  systems  are  concerned  in  these  manifestations 
of  nervous  temper.  Not  only  are  the  nerves  irritated  and 
under  loose  control,  but  we  know  that  these  angry  emotions 
are  largely  determined  by  certain  changes  in  the  visceral  circu- 
lation. In  the  initial  state  of  anger  or  passion  the  face  is  pale, 
while  the  small  blood  vessels  of  the  brain  are  greatly  dilated, 
enormously  congested.  The  internal  pressure  is  greatly  raised; 
in  fact,  sudden  death  from  apoplexy,  due  to  the  rupture  of  a 
blood  vessel,  is  not  an  uncommon  result  of  a  fit  of  anger. 

Immediately  following  this  pale-faced  stage  of  anger,  there 
takes  place  a  reaction  similar  to  that  following  an  application 


NERVOUSNESS  AND  RELAXATION  391 

of  cold  water  to  the  face;  then  we  have  the  characteristic  red 
appearance  and  flushing  of  the  skin  of  the  face,  accompanied 
by  burning  sensations   and  even  swelling. 

Anger  represents  the  culmination,  the  climax  of  nervous- 
ness. During  a  fit  of  temper,  every  function  of  the  body  is 
run  at  an  extravagant  pace,  and  all  its  work  is  carried  on  in  a 
wasteful  fashion.  Tears  may  flow  and  saliva  run,  while  all  the 
muscles  of  the  organism  are  in  a  state  of  intensity  and 
contraction.  This  tenseness  is  also  found  to  pervade  the  sympa- 
thetic nervous  system,  and,  as  a  result,  all  the  smaller  blood- 
vessels are  caused  to  contract  down  in  a  sort  of  spasm.  The 
blood-pressure  is  enormously  raised,  the  patient  executes  a  host 
of  useless  movements,  which  may  consist  in  biting  the  finger 
nails,  clinching  the  fists,  stamping  the  floor,  throwing  objects, 
and  giving  other  exhibitions  of  demoralized  and  inefficient 
nervous  control. 

In  all  conditions  of  nervousness,  ranging  from  the  common 
fidgety  state  up  to  acute  anger,  the  heart  is  overworked;  the 
circulation,  the  digestion,  and  the  elimination  are  interfered 
with,  while  the  breathing  is  superficial;  the  entire  physical 
mechanism  is  disorganized. 

Such  a  state  of  affairs  might  be  looked  upon  as  a  short-circuit 
at  some  point  in  the  brain,  whereby  certain  sensations  or  ideas 
are  allowed  to  throw  the  body  into  this  state  of  useless  agitation 
by  means  of  some  sort  of  short  cut  to  the  motor  nerves,  instead 
of  passing  over  the  customary  route  to  the  higher  centres  of 
reason  and  judgment;  in  fact,  this  state  of  nervous  agitation 
represents  a  condition  in  which  the  body  is  acting  without  the 
moderation  and  control  of  its  customary  governor  —  the  will- 
power. The  will  is  the  seat  and  source  of  control  for  the  pre- 
vention and  cure  of  these  conditions,  and  will  be  dealt  with 
more  fully  in  a  subsequent  chapter. 

It  must  be  admitted  that  the  enormous  amount  of  work  per- 
formed by  brain  and  body  when  in  a  state  of  anger,  represents 
just  so  much  mental  and  physical  energy  which  has  run  to 
waste.  Not  only  is  this  work  lost,  but  it  results  in  actual  harm 
to  both  mind  and  body.  Regular  and  systematic  body  and 
brain  work  constitute  a  great  safeguard  against  these  harmful, 
useless,  and  unwholesome  upheavals. 


392       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

THE    FATIGUE    STATE 

We  cannot  have  long-continued  over-functioning  of  the  nerv- 
ous system  without  having  a  subsequent  and  corresponding 
stage  of  under-functioning;  and  so,  the  fidgety  state  is  sooner 
or  later  followed  by  the  fatigue  state.  The  sufferer  who  is  all 
"keyed  up,"  high  strung,  nervous,  fidgety,  and  overactive 
to-day,  must  necessarily  to-morrow  or  next  day  begin  to  expe- 
rience unusual  mental  weariness  and  unnatural  physical  fatigue. 
Such  a  patient  will  then  describe  himself  as  feeling  "  all  run 
down."  Exactly  so;  which  only  goes  to  show  that  he  was  pre- 
viously all  wound  up.  Nature  allows  this  nervous  exhaustion 
to  overtake  them  for  the  express  purpose  of  keeping  the  nerves 
from  "  snapping,"  to  prevent  the  "  boilers  from  bursting." 
This  sense  of  nervous  prostration  and  physical  fatigue  which 
supervenes  in  the  case  of  these  excited  and  agitated  creatures 
is  a  great  and  wise  safety  device  —  it  is  an  efficient  life-saver. 

And  so,  these  nervous  ones  begin  to  complain  of  being 
tired,  tired  all  the  time,  tired  in  the  morning  and  tired  at  night. 
They  are  constantly  telling  people  they  are  tired  and  worn  out, 
and  they  are  everlastingly  telling  this  same  thing  to  themselves, 
little  dreaming  that  this  very  contemplation  and  reiteration 
of  their  tired  feelings  is  directly  adding  to  the  sum  of  their 
fatigue.  Suggestion  is,  itself,  a-powerful  fatiguer  of  both  mind 
and  body.  A  little  economy  in  nervous  and  muscular  move- 
ment, a  little  less  nervousness,  coupled  with  more  mental  con- 
trol (counter-suggestion),  would  cure  many  people  of  at  least 
one-half  of  their  habitual  fatigue. 

We  should  not  resist  our  fatigue  and  tired  feelings.  Having 
done  your  best  to  economize  muscular  and  nervous  expenditure, 
if  at  night  you  find  yourself  tired  and  weary,  simply  reason  like 
this:  "  Yes,  I  am  fairly  tired  out  to-night,  but  that  is  only  nat- 
ural. I  will  go  to  bed  and  get  rested.  I  shall  be  all  right  in  the 
morning."  And  this  very  acceptance  of  your  fatigue  will  rest 
you,  more  or  less,  immediately.  We  must  learn  to  cast  from  us 
the  magnification  of  our  weariness  and  the  emphasis  of  our 
fatigue.  Especially  is  it  desirable  that  these  things  should  be 
cast  out  of  the  mind  during  the  meal  hours  and  at  bedtime. 


NERVOUSNESS  AND  RELAXATION  393 

EXTRAVAGANT  TENSION 

Some  women  wear  themselves  all  out  by  talking  fifteen  or 
twenty  minutes;  the  tongue  and  throat  become  exhausted;  in 
fact,  the  nerves  and  muscles  connected  with  expression  are  in 
a  constant  state  of  extraordinary  tension,  and,  of  course,  they 
are  bound  to  become  prematurely  wearied.  We  see  this  same 
unnecessary  and  fatiguing  concentration  manifested  by  people 
who  are  reading,  attending  a  lecture,  shopping,  and  in  a  score 
of  other  ways.  They  wear  themselves  out  prematurely  and 
unnecessarily  because  of  this  unnatural  tension.  In  fact,  some- 
one has  said  that  most  people  at  church  listen  with  their  spines 
and  not  with  their  ears. 

The  author  recently  rode  in  a  passenger  coach  behind  a 
lady  who  was  in  a  state  of  high  muscular  and  nervous  tension 
throughout  the  journey.  She  would  not  give  her  body  to  the 
train  to  be  carried,  but  insisted  on  sitting  up  in  her  seat  and 
helping  push  the  train  on  to  its  destination.  At  the  conclusion 
of  the  journey,  as  she  alighted  from  the  train,  we  overheard  her 
say :    "  Oh,  Mary,  I  am  simply  worn  out,  I  am  tired  to  death." 

And  so  we  find  people  whose  eyes  tire  out  from  reading,  due 
not  alone  to  eye  strain,  but  also  to  nerve  strain.  Others  cannot 
visit  without  becoming  unnecessarily  exhausted.  Some  women 
are  unable  to  sew  for  half  a  day  without  having  a  tired,  aching 
feeling  between  the  shoulders,  largely  due  to  unnecessary  nerv- 
ous and  muscular  strain.  In  our  everyday  work  we  employ 
not  only  those  nerves  and  muscles  which  are  necessary  to  the 
performance  of  our  task,  but  we  also  allow  the  entire  nervous 
mechanism  to  exert  itself  in  needless  tension  sym,pathy  with 
the  working  groups  of  muscles. 

"getting  on  the  nerves" 

There  is  something  decidedly  wrong  with  one's  nerves,  when 
everybody  is  constantly  "  getting  on  them."  They  are  either 
highly  diseased  or  abnormally  sensitive.  This  unnatural  sensi- 
tiveness has  been  compared  to  the  psychology  of  a  shying  horse. 
When  a  horse  shies  at  some  new  object,  it  is  customary  to 
drive  it  repeatedly  up  to  that  object  and  let  it  get  used  to  the 
situation,  let  it  become  accustomed  to  the  experience;  and  we 
think  it  would  be  an  excellent  plan  for  some  nervous  people 


394       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

to  back  right  up  to  those  things  which  "  get  on  their  nerves  " — 
brush  up  and  take  a  square  look  at  them. 

Make  up  your  mind  no  longer  to  submit  to  such  tyranny  on 
the  part  of  your  uncontrolled  and  unbalanced  nerves.  If  you 
are  doomed  to  have  a  fit  because  Mrs.  Brown  eats  sugar  on  her 
tomatoes  instead  of  salt,  it  would  be  well  for  you  to  hire  some 
one  to  sit  down  before  you  and  eat  sugar  on  tomatoes  until  you 
have  actually  habituated  and  reconciled  your  nerves  to  the 
idea  of  letting  other  folks  do  as  they  please.  Some  one  has  said 
that  "  every  woman  is  a  slave  of  every  other  woman  that  annoys 
her."  Every  woman  should  declare  herself  free  from  this 
peculiar  nervous  bondage.  What  do  you  care  if  Mrs.  Brown 
rocks  incessantly,  or  if  Mrs.  Jones  tosses  her  foot  while  visiting 
you  ?  There  is  no  good  reason  why  these  things  should  "  get 
on  your  nerves."  If  your  friends  want  to  rock,  let  them  rock; 
develop  immunity  against  these  petty  harassments  and  insig- 
nificant sources  of  worry. 

We  really  believe  some  mothers  drive  their  children  into 
difficulties  and  harmful  practices  because  of  their  constant 
fretting  and  everlasting  worry  about  these  things.  We  can  do 
a  great  deal  to  encourage  people  to  become  strong  by  showing 
that  we  are  strong  enough  to  trust  them. 

FALSE   SYMPATHY    AND   SELFISHNESS 

False  sympathy  does  much  to  confirm  certain  people  in  their 
chronic  nervousness.     We  find  women  who  are  cheerful  and 
charming   in   all    their   intercourse   with   strangers   and    when 
away   from  home,  but   who   are  extraordinarily  disagreeable, 
selfish,  and  quarrelsome  when  at  home.     They  expect  and  de- 
mand much  of  their  loved  ones,  and  these  people  are  made 
^       exceedingly   selfish   by   having   received   too   much    sympathy, 
'      false  sympathy,  from  the  various  members  of  their  family.     Oc- 
casionally, we  run  across  a  patient  who  literally  takes  sympathy 
V      out  of  every  one  with  whom  she  comes  in  contact.  Such  persons 
are  really  professional  invalids,  and  they  depress,  weaken,  and 
impose  upon  everybody  they  meet. 

People  of  all  religions  and  no  religion  are  afifected  with  this 
semi-invalidism,  commonly  called  nervousness.  In  all  proba- 
bility, there  was  a  time  when  devotion  to  their  religion  would 


I 


NERVOUSNESS  AND  RELAXATION  395 

have  saved  them  from  passing  through  these  unnecessary 
troubles.  But,  when  things  have  gone  thus  far  it  usually  re- 
quires something  more  than  a  mere  theoretical  theological 
belief  to  rescue  them  from  the  ruts  of  their  own  complaining 
and  morbid  introspection. 

Sometimes  the  doctor  unconsciously  contributes  much  to 
confirming  these  invalids  in  their  chronic  nervousness,  by  his 
false  professional  sympathy.  It  is  very  important  that  the 
medical  adviser  should  steer  these  nervous  patients  away  from 
their  thoughts  of  self  and  direct  them  into  channels  of  thought 
which  are  unselfish  and  altruistic.  This  appetite  for  sympathy 
grows  so  inordinately  that  very  soon  the  patient  actually 
begins  to  manufacture  fictitious  symptoms  in  order  to  gain  the 
sympathy  of  friends  and  professional  attendants. 

NEEDLESS  HURRY  AND  USELESS   RUSH 

A  great  deal  of  the  excitement,  hurly-burly,  and  rush  of  every- 
day life  is  to  no  purpose  whatever.  Even  when  it  is  necessary 
to  make  haste,  let  us  make  it  calmly,  without  excitement  and 
needless  exertion.  The  unnatural  and  needless  strain  of  this 
hurry  and  rush  so  contracts  the  muscles  that  they  cannot  en- 
gage in  rapid  locomotion  without  undue  exertion,  and  conse- 
quently premature  and  unnecessary  fatigue.  In  fact,  some 
people  are  so  hurried,  chronically  rushed,  that  they  cannot  take 
time  to  eat,  to  breathe,  or  to  sleep,  in  a  natural  and  normal 
manner.  A  *  little  systematic  planning  would  enable  most  of 
them  to  do  a  great  deal  more  work  each  day,  and  to  do  it  with 
one-half  the  expenditure  of  vital   energy. 

We  know  of  people  who  have  the  hurry  habit  so  thoroughly 
established  in  their  character  that  they  will  actually  race  up  and 
downstairs,  rush  from  one  room  to  another,  and  go  through  all 
sorts  of  uncalled-for  and  unnecessary  exertion  simply  because 
they  have  "  got  such  a  terrible  day's  work  to  do  " ;  they  have 
"  got  so  much  work  to  do  that  they  are  driven  to  death." 

Some  day,  we  shall  pay  more  attention  to  muscular  and 
nervous  coordination;  that  is,  to  the  science  of  using  one's 
nerves  in  doing  the  work  in  hand,  and  to  employing  only  those 
muscles  which  are  essential  to  the  task  before  us.  We  may 
progress  to  the  point  where  we  shall  learn  how  to  rest  the 


.it' 


^^ 


396       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

unused  portions  of  the  body,  while  the  active  groups  of  nerves 
and  muscles  are  engaged  in  their  necessary  work. 

THE    PRACTICE    OF   NERVOUS    CONTROL 

Nature  would  do  very  well  for  most  of  us  if  we  would  learn 
to  keep  our  hands  off,  if  we  would  simply  leave  her  unmolested. 
We  are  constantly  and  unnecessarily  adding  to  her  stress  and 
strain.  We  are  incessantly  overworking  certain  organs  and 
underworking  others.  Everlastingly,  we  are  injecting  unhealthy 
impulses  into  the  nervous  regulation  of  our  physical  forces. 
In  fact,  thousands  of  semi-invalids,  if  they  would  but  learn  to 
relax,  to  effect  a  nervous  surrender,  and  then  practise  the  simple 
laws  of  hygiene  with  respect  to  eating,  drinking,  and  sleeping, 
would  experience  a  speedy  and  more  or  less  complete  recovery. 
But  some  persons  will  systematically  have  to  practise  nerve- 
control.  It  would  be  an  excellent  idea  for  some  nervous 
women  to  begin  this  discipline  on  their  talking  propensity. 
Some  women  talk  too  much  and  so  intensely  that  they  keep 
themselves  on  the  verge  of  nervous  prostration,  independent  of 
the  excitement  and  tension  that  may  pertain  to  the  topic  of  their 
gossip. 

It  is  a  good  plan  to  begin  practising  on  some  of  the  smaller 
nerve  strains,  and,  as  you  acquire  the  ability  to  relax  while 
resting,  you  will  soon  acquire  the  power  of  working  without 
this  unnecessary  nerve  strain  and  vital  leakage. 
r^   It  would  be  a  good  idea  to  sit  down  for  an  hour  or  two,  go 
over  your  experience  and  isolate  those  things  which  are  re- 
sponsible for  nerve  strain,  seek  to  locate  your  nervous  weak- 
nesses, the  source  of  your  lack  of  nerve-control.     Ascertain  if 
it  is  due  to  congestion  of  the  liver,  constipation,  overeating, 
under  drinking,  or  superficial  breathing.     See  if  you  are  un- 
necessarily resisting   something  in  your  life;  or  are  you  the 
victim  of  some  chronic  worry?     If  not  exactly  sure  as  to  why 
you  are  so  hurried  and  rushed,  write  down  in  black  and  white 
the  apparent  cause  of  your  nervous  strain,  and  then  begin  the 
,    persistent  and  systematic  practice  of  nerve-control  at  the  point 
j    where   you   most   need   it,   beginning   with   the   smaller   delin- 
\  quencies  first,  and  attacking  the  greater  weaknesses  later. 
(       We  need  to  acquire  more  of  the  play  spirit  of  the  child  who 


NERVOUSNESS  AND  RELAXATION  397 

can  run  about  and  romp  all  day  without  getting  unnaturally 
tired  in  either  mind  or  body.  We  need  to  practise  relaxation. 
The  author  had  a  patient  call  him  up  on  the  telephone  one  day, 
who  was  so  excited  that  he  could  hardly  understand  what  she 
said.  After  a  moment,  he  interrupted  and  advised  her  to  talk 
lower,  to  be  calm,  so  he  could  understand  her  better;  where- 
upon she  began  calmly  and  quietly  to  describe  her  case,  and 
this  relaxation  of  the  nervous  tension  produced  such  immediate 
and  favorable  results  that  before  discontinuing  the  telephone 
conversation,  she  actually  decided  that  she  would  not  need  to 
see  a  physician.  There  are  thousands  and  thousands  of  invalids 
who,  if  they  would  cool  off  and  quiet  down,  would  begin  to  ex- 
perience immediate  improvement  both  in  mind  and  body. 

A  great  many  women  have  had  their  minds  burdened  for 
years  with  the  idea  that  they  will  get  sick  or  go  crazy,  when 
they  reach  the  time  of  the  change  of  life;  and,  true  to  their  long- 
cherished  opinions,  some  of  them  do  manage  to  have  quite  a 
hard  time  of  it  during  this  period.  It  is  the  author's  humble 
belief  that  the  majority  of  these  mental  and  nervous  difficulties, 
which  are  experienced  by  ordinarily  healthy  women  during  the 
period  of  the  change  of  life,  are  entirely  due  to  suggestion  and 
to  imagination.  Their  trouble  is  in  reality  nothing  more  or 
less  than  a  specialized  form  of  neurasthenia,  the  neurasthenia 
of  the  change  of  life. 

In  this  practice  of  nerve-control,  it  must  be  recognized  by 
these  nervous  people  that  it  is  themselves  that  are  out  of  order; 
that  nervousness  is  not  a  disease  like  other  diseases;  that  is, 
it  is  not  a  condition  in  which  something  is  really  wrong  in  the 
physical  body.  It  is  a  condition  of  the  mind  and  body  and  is 
in  no  more  need  of  a  physician  to  effect  its  cure,  than  one  needs 
a  doctor  to  tell  him  when  to  get  up  in  the  morning  or  when  to 
o  to  bed  at  night;  it  is  simply  a  matter  of  self-control. 

THE  GOSPEL   OF  RELAXATION 

aving  considered  nervousness  from  the  standpoint  of  its 
nature  and  cure,  we  shall  now  lay  a  special  emphasis  upon  the 
value  of  relaxation.  It  seems  especially  necessary  in  this 
generation,  that  men  and  women  should  remember  to  relax. 
Nervous  patients  should  practise  perfect  relaxation  from  fifteen 
minutes  to  half  an  hour  in  the  middle  of  the  day. 


398       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

Most  patients  will  find  it  best  to  begin  the  practice  of  the 
gospel  of  relaxation  in  connection  with  their  regular  rest  and 
sleep  at  night.  Learn  to  give  yourself  entirely  over  to  the  bed 
whereon  you  sleep;  do  not  try  to  hold  yourself  in  the  bed  or  on 
the  bed.  If  the  reader  will  observe  himself  to-night  (unless 
he  is  fortunately  one  who  has  already  learned  how  to  relax), 
he  will  be  surprised  in  noticing  how  continuously  and  stren- 
uously he  holds  himself  in  a  certain  position  on  the  bed.  He 
will  find  most  of  his  muscles  cramped,  his  head  held  rigidly 
in  a  certain  position,  the  whole  spinal  column  more  or  less 
rigid;  in  fact,  he  has  taken  up  his  customary  job  of  engaging  in 
hard  muscular  work  in  an  effort  to  go  to  sleep.  In  some 
cases,  the  knees  will  be  found  all  drawn  up,  the  fists  clinched, 
the  chin  flexed,  and  the  jaws  set.  The  entire  physical  pic- 
ture is  one  of  downright  hard  labor. 

Now,  it  will  not  be  an  easy  matter  to  change  this  picture. 
The  gospel  of  relaxation  is  very  easy  to  preach,  but  exceedingly 
hard  to  practise.  Not  only  do  we  have  this  harmful  physical 
tension  on  going  to  bed,  but  it  is  on  retiring  that  some  people 
begin  to  do  their  most  strenuous  mental  work.  The  thoughts 
troop  through  the  mind  in  a  regular  procession.  If  you  cannot 
otherwise  stop  thinking  on  retiring,  success  may  be  achieved 
by  allowing  the  train  of  thought  to  march  on  with  all  its 
energy,  while  you  begin  to  concentrate  the  mind  on  relaxing  the 
body;  and  it  will  usually  be  found  that  your  train  of  thought 
slows  down  just  in  proportion  as  the  muscles  are  relaxed. 
There  is  a  great  deal  of  reciprocal  action  between  mind  and 
body. 

We  have  witnessed  excellent  results  in  insomnia,  when  the 
patient's  whole  mind  was  concentrated  on  relaxation.  The 
body  has  been  released  from  its  nervous  tension,  and  the  mind 
has  been  occupied  with  helpful  work,  instead  of  being  engaged 
in  harmful,  sleep-destroying,  and  useless  worry. 

In  all  the  animal  world,  man  is  the  only  animal  that  main- 
tains such  incessant  rigidity  of  the  muscles,  and  such  constant 
nervous  tension.  It  is  only  necessary  to  lift  a  sleeping  cat  or 
a  slumbering  babe  to  see  how  completely  relaxed  they  are ;  they 
give  over  entirely  their  weight  to  your  supporting  arms.     And 


NERVOUSNESS  AND  RELAXATION  399 

still,  we  would  not  assert  that  relaxation  alone  is  the  secret  of 
health.  It  is  highly  necessary  that  we  should  have  muscular 
and  nervous  work.  Nerves  and  muscles  must  work  together; 
but  what  we  are  concerned  about  is  the  unnecessary  strain,  the 
wasteful  and  extravagant  tension  which  accompanies  otherwise 
useful  work,  and  which  so  successfully  invades  even  our  periods 
of  rest  and  sleep. 

RELAXATION    VCYSUS   RESISTANCE 

In  overcoming  most  abnormal  states  of  mind  and  nervous 
conditions  of  the  body,  it  will  be  found,  as  a  rule,  that  more  good 
can  be  accomplished  by  relaxation,  by  surrender,  than  by  resist- 
ance, by  fighting.  A  large  percentage  of  those  things  which 
harass  and  vex  us  would  be  robbed  of  their  power  further  to 
torture  the  soul,  if  we  could  but  become  thoroughly  reconciled  to 
their  presence.  It  is  our  perpetual  resistance  of  these  annoying 
trifles  of  life  that  gives  them  such  great  power  to  harass  and 
disturb  us. 

Many  a  chronic  pain  is  made  worse  by  complaining  about  it 
and  resisting  it.  Had  we  calmly  accepted  the  pain,  as  a  matter 
of  fact,  it  would  have  been  immediately  robbed  of  one-half  its 
torture.  Now,  we  do  not  make  a  plea  for  over-relaxation,  for 
that  passive  submission  which  shall  rob  us  of  the  power  to  resist 
wrong,  and  the  disposition  to  combat  evil;  we  are  simply  here 
registering  a  plea  for  nervous  equilibrium,  for  regular  periods  of 
relaxation,  for  periods  of  rest  following  periods  of  work,  and, 
further,  to  lessen  the  useless  expenditure  of  energy  in  needless 
stress  and  strain,  while  engaged  in  our  daily  work. 

Sometime  ago,  a  writer  suggested  that  pain  would  be  much 
better  borne  by  calmly  relaxing  while  sitting  in  a  dentist's  chair, 
instead  of  contracting  the  muscles,  clinching  the  fists,  and  thus 
exhausting  the  nerves  and  the  muscles  before  a  pang  of  pain 
has  been  experienced.  And  there  can  be  little  doubt  as  to  the 
truthfulness  of  this  teaching.  Our  pain  is  made  a  great  deal 
more  tense  and  acute  by  our  tremendous  resistance,  whereas, 
calmly  and  quietly  surrendering  to  the  inevitable,  would  have 
reduced  the  intensity  of  the  pain  to  an  enormous  degree.  The 
fatigue  which  results  from  this  nervous  tension,  while  sitting  two 
hours  in  a  dentist's  chair,  is  ten  times  more  than  the  weariness 
which  could  result  from  the  suffering  of  actual  pain. 

I 


400       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

It  would,  therefore,  appear  that  in  many  cases,  the  victory 
over  either  mental  difficulties  or  nervous  tension  can  best  be 
secured,  not  by  fighting  and  resisting,  but  by  unconditional 
surrender. 

HARMONIZING    WITH    ENVIRONMENT 

It  is  a  great  gift  to  know  how  to  get  along  with  one's  sur- 
roundings ;  how  to  react  to  the  changes  and  experiences  in  one's 
environment;  how  calmly  to  accept  those  changes  which  cannot 
be  made  different;  how  to  be  a  successful  reformer,  and  yet 
how  to  keep  from  worrying  over  those  things  which  cannot  be 
changed.  It  requires  strong  character  to  live  with  one's  asso- 
ciates and  yet  not  to  resent  their  incivilities  or  to  be  chafed  and 
exasperated  by  their  shortcomings.  It  is  a  good  plan,  "  when  in 
Rome,  to  do  as  Rome  does."  The  chameleon  is  a  fortunate  ani- 
mal :  it  has  power  to  change  its  own  color  to  harmonize  with  the 
color  of  its  environment. 

A  certain  degree  of  muscular  rigidity  is  required,  when  one  is 
standing,  but  this  is  wholly  unnecessary  when  resting  in  a 
chair.  How  many  of  us  hold  ourselves  just  as  tight  in  the  chair 
as  if  we  were  holding  the  body  upright,  while  walking !  Why 
should  a  carriage  ride  completely  exhaust  a  healthy  man?  Sim- 
ply because  he  did  not  adjust  himself  harmoniously  to  the 
environment  of  the  drive,  he  did  not  fully  relax  and  enjoy  the 
ride.  All  the  while,  he  was  in  constant  fear  of  the  horse  running 
away,  or  else  by  his  anxiety  and  tension  he  endeavored  to  assist 
the  horse  in  pulling  the  carriage,  instead  of  entering  into  the 
joys  and  pleasures  of  the  drive. 

When  riding  on  the  train,  we  should  become  as  one  with  the 
coach  and  be  carried  along  without  resistance,  by  the  engine, 
stopping,  starting,  and  otherwise  moving  in  perfect  harmony 
and  attune  with  the  train ;  this  is  what  we  mean  by  harmonising 
with  one's  environment ;  it  is  a  process  of  moving  through  life 
with  the  least  possible  friction  consistent  with  the  greatest  pos- 
sible mental  and  physical  action.  (See  Fig.  32.)  It  is  a  scheme 
for  improving  and  changing  every  remediable  and  objectionable 
factor  in  our  environment,  without  in  the  least  fretting  or  fum- 
ing over  those  conditions  which  we  cannot  change  or  remove. 


RESISTING    ENVIRONMENT. 


HARMONIZING    WITH    ENVIRONMENT' 


FI&.32.  RIGHT  AND  WRONG  WAV  TO  RIDE  ON  THE:  TRAIN 


NERVOUSNESS  AND  RELAXATION  401 

THE  HAPPINESS  HABIT 

The  victims  of  nervousness  need  to  form  and  cultivate  the 
happiness  habit  —  strong  and  positive  methods  of  thinking. 
Weak  habits  of  thought  condemn  one  to  life-long  bondage  to 
heredity  and  environment;  while  strong  habits  of  thinking  will 
enable  us  largely  to  rise  above  our  hereditary  tendencies  and 
master  our  environment. 

Modern  religious  teaching  largely  consists  in  the  proclamation 
of  the  gospel  of  love ;  religion  has  thereby  become  a  great  source 
of  mental  stimulation  and  moral  illumination.  The  theologians 
have  performed  a  great  work  of  deliverance  by  this  preaching  of 
love,  but  they  have  failed  in  the  presentation  of  the  new  religion 
of  faith  and  love,  fully  to  expose  and  denounce  the  old  religion 
of  fear.  Perhaps,  this  is  due  to  the  old  teaching  that  human 
progress  was  built  on  faith,  hope,  and  fear.  It  must  be  admitted 
that  fear  enters  largely  into  human  progress  —  it  is  a  powerful 
motive  in  uncivilized  man,  even  as  it  is  in  the  life-career  of  all 
animals.  Whatever  might  have  been  the  service  of  fear  in  times 
past,  it  is  certain  that  the  children  of  Christian  civilization  have 
nothing  to  gain  from  the  cultivation  and  indulgence  of  fear 
and  its  offspring  —  nervousness,  worry,  and  anger. 

Let  us  cultivate  the  happiness  habit  as  our  mode  of  life. 
Trouble  does  not  actually  exist;  in  this  respect,  the  philosophy 
of  our  Christian  Science  friends  is  right.  Trouble  exists  only 
in  the  fear  thought  of  our  own  minds.  The  moment  we  cease  to 
fear  trouble,  it  vanishes,  it  becomes  a  passing  event  in  life,  which 
we  react  to  while  it  passes,  and  hold  only  in  our  memory  after 
it  has  gone. 

The  royal  remedy  for  nervousness,  then,  is  the  acquirement 
of  that  happy  frame  of  mind  which  results  from  the  constant 
exercise  of  faith  and  the  repression  of  fear  —  it  is  the  normal, 
healthy  mode  of  life. 

METHODS   OF   TREATMENT 

In  the  treatment  of  nervousness,  numerous  methods  and  fads 
have  been  suggested  from  time  to  time.  The  thing  of  first  im- 
portance is  to  teach  self-control,  to  reeducate  the  will,  to  teach 
the  minimizing  of  difficulties,  and  to  stop  the  magnification  of 
trifles.    There  is  absolutely  no  reason,  except  a  failure  of  nerv- 


402        THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

ous  control,  why  a  woman  should  go  to  bed  for  six  months  with 
nervous  prostration,  simply  because  her  child  breaks  a  looking- 
glass.  Hypnotism  was  tried  in  the  treatment  of  these  cases 
several  years  ago,  but  it  proved  a  failure ;  in  fact,  its  results  have 
been  disappointing,  and  in  some  cases,  highly  disastrous. 

Outside  of  the  proper  psychic  treatment  of  nervousness,  the 
physical  treatment  consists  in  liberal  feeding  with  nutritious 
food  easy  of  digestion,  regulation  of  the  bowels,  abundant  water- 
drinking,  out-of-door  life,  and  useful  work  which  is  suitable  to 
the  strength.  In  many  cases,  a  uniform,  graduated  system  of 
exercises,  in  connection  with  baths,  will  be  found  very  helpful. 
It  should  be  remembered  that  of  far  more  importance  than  all 
of  this  physical  treatment,  is  the  reeducation  of  the  patient's  will, 
the  inauguration  of  the  patient's  personal  control  over  the  nerv- 
ous centres. 

In  dealing  with  nervous  people,  never  meet  their  resistance 
by  resistance  on  your  part.  Practise  the  gospel  of  nonresist- 
ance  by  the  very  way  in  which  you  refuse  to  resist  them.  There 
is  an  actual  therapeutic  value  to  be  attached  to  the  old  words  of 
the  wise  man :  "  A  soft  answer  turneth  away  wrath ;  but  grievous 
words  stir  up  anger." 

SUMMARY  OF  THE  CHAPTER 

1.  Nervousness  is  not  a  real  disease.  It  is  merely  a  state  of 
mind  and  body.  It  is  usually  due  to  combined  irritation,  over- 
stimulation, and  lack  of  control.  No  class  of  society  is  exempt 
from  nervous  disorders. 

2.  Nervousness  commonly  leads  to  some  form  of  nervous  ex- 
haustion or  nervous  prostration,  but  may  result  in  producing 
certain  types  or  forms  of  nervous  disturbance  such  as  the  neu- 
rasthenic, the  psychasthenic,  the  hysteric,  the  hypochondriac, 
and  the  insomniac. 

3.  Constant  nervous  agitation  constitutes  a  tremendous  drain 
on  the  vital  energies  of  mind  and  body.  Nervous  people  are 
the  most  extravagant  thinkers  and  workers  in  the  world. 

4.  Acute  anger  is  the  culmination  of  this  lack  of  nervous  con- 
trol. During  a  fit  of  temper,  the  functions  of  the  body  are  run 
at  an  extravagant  pace,  while  all  mental  and  physical  work  is 
carried  on  at  a  great  disadvantage.    Anger  represents  a  short- 


NERVOUSNESS  AND  RELAXATION  403 

circuit    in    the    nervous    impulses  —  cutting    out    the    higher 
controlling  centres. 

5.  We  cannot  have  long  continued  over- functioning  of  the 
nervous  system,  without  a  subsequent  stage  of  under-functioning, 
and  so  all  high  strung  and  nervous  persons  sooner  or  later  "  run 
down,''  experience  unnatural  mental  weariness  and  unusual 
physical  fatigue.  This  is  nervous  exhaustion,  nervous  prostra- 
tion, neurasthenia. 

6.  A  great  deal  of  nervous  energy  is  lost  in  useless  tension, 
both  nervous  and  muscular.  A  nervous  woman  instead  of  rest- 
ing while  riding  on  the  train,  actually  insists  on  sitting  up  rigidly 
in  her  seat,  doing  her  utmost  to  help  the  engine  pull  the  train 
to  its  destination. 

7.  There  is  something  decidedly  wrong  with  one's  nerves  when 
everybody  is  constantly  "  getting  on  them."  They  are  either 
highly  diseased  or  abnormally  sensitive.  Every  man  is  a  slave 
to  every  other  that  annoys  him.  Let  us  become  reconciled  to  the 
idea  of  letting  other  folks  do  as  they  piease. 

8.  False  sympathy  does  much  to  coifirm  certain  people  in 
their  chronic  nervousness.  Some  of  the;e  professional  invalids 
demand  sympathy  from  everybody  they  neet.  They  create  ficti- 
tious symptoms  to  secure  the  sympathy  tiey  so  crave. 

9.  A  great  deal  of  the  excitement,  huiy-burly,  and  rush  of 
everyday  life  is  to  no  purpose  whatever.  Even  when  haste  is 
necessary,  let  us  make  it  calmly.  Let  us  rest  unused  portions  of 
the  body,  while  the  active  groups  of  neres  and  muscles  are 
doing  their  work. 

10.  Practise  the  art  of  nerve  control.  Vrite  down  in  black 
and  white  what  it  is  that  excites,  agitates,  an'  worries  you.  Let 
us  acquire  more  of  the  free  play  spirit  of  thechild.  Many  peo- 
ple are  not  really  sick  —  they  only  need  to  lern  self-control  to 
get  well. 

11.  Most  people  have  lost  the  power  of  nervus  and  muscular 
relaxation.  They  are  intense  and  contracted  ven  on  retiring 
at  night.  Learn  first  to  relax  during  sleep,  nd  then  during 
other  phases  of  the  daily  life. 

12.  In  overcoming  many  forms  of  nervousnes  and  worry,  it 
will  be  found  that  relaxation  is  more  useful  tan   resistance. 


404       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 


We  do  not  advocate  over-relaxation  to  the  point  of  nonresist- 
ance  to  wrong,  but  rather  the  nonresistance  of  those  conditions 
in  life  which  we  cannot  possibly  change. 

13.  "  When  in  Rome,  do  as  Rome  does."  The  successful  re- 
former is  the  one  who  can  keep  from  fretting  and  fuming  over 
the  things  he  cannot  remedy  or  remove. 

14.  Cultivate  the  happiness  habit.  Embrace  a  religion  of 
faith  and  love;  get  away  from  the  ancient  teachings  of  fear. 
Trouble  is  really  non-existent.  It  exists  only  in  our  fear  thought 
for  it,  and  our  memory  thought  of  it. 

15.  Hypnotism  is  useless  in  the  treatment  of  nervousness.  It 
is  cured  only  by  self-control  and  will-power  in  connection  with 
the  practice  of  hygiene  —  diet,  water-drinking,  physical  exer- 
cise, and  regulation  of  the  bowels. 


CHAPTER   XXXV 

THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  MODERN  PSYCHOTHERAPY 

Fictitious  sensations  and  false  ideas. —  Dislocation  of 
IDEAS. —  Suggestive  imaginations  and  dreams. —  Associa- 
tive MEMORIES. —  "  Complex  formation."  —  Dissociation  of 
IDEAS. —  Psychic  insurrection. —  Emotional  energy. — 
Psycho-analysis,  or  mental  diagnosis. —  Suggestion  and 
reeducation. —  The  treatment  of  the  fatigue  states. — 
Hypnotism. —  The  work  and  study  cures. —  Religious 
emotions  and   moral  therapeutics. —  Summary    of    the 

CHAPTER. 

PSYCHOTHERAPY  is  a  term  which  includes  the  modern 
methods  of  treating  mental  disorders  and  disturbances  by 
means  of  suggestion,  diversion,  reeducation,  and  persuasion,  in- 
cluding moral  therapeutics.  Psychotherapy  should  not  be 
confused  with  so-called  mind  cure.  The  old-fashioned  mind 
cures  utilized  the  identical  psychological  and  physiological  laws 
which  are  employed  in  modern  psychotherapy;  nevertheless, 
psychotherapy  stands  for  the  systematic,  scientific,  and  rational 
treatment  of  psychic  disturbances;  while  so-called  mind  cure 
consists  in  desultory,  empiric,  and  ofttimes  deceptive  efforts  at 
relieving  mental  disturbances;  and,  although  sometimes  highly 
successful,  it  must  be  looked  upon  as  representing  the  quackish 
element  in  psychotherapeutics. 

In  considering  psychotherapy,  the  author  presumes  that  the 
reader  is  more  or  less  familiar  with  the  fundamental  principles 
of  psychology  and  physiology  as  outlined  in  Parts  I  and  II  of 
this  book.  This  chapter  must  further  be  read  in  the  light  of  the 
studies  on  habit,  worry,  and  nervousness,  which  precede  it,  as 
well  as  in  the  light  of  the  discussion  of  suggestion,  reeducation 
of  the  will,  and  moral  therapeutics,  which  follows  in  subsequent 

405 


4o6       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

chapters.  It  will  therefore  be  unnecessary  to  reiterate  in  full 
those  conditions  of  mind  and  body  which  constitute  the  neces- 
sity for  the  practice  of  psychotherapy.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that 
psychotherapy  plays  an  important  part  in  the  treatment  of  all 
patients  who  are  misguided  in  mind,  misadapted  to  their  en- 
vironment, as  well  as  those  who  are  suffering  from  perverted 
feelings,  disruptive  sensations,  the  worry  habit,  and  also  those 
who  fear  disease  or  who  have  fixed  beliefs  in  fictitious  physical 
disorders;  in  short,  all  who  suffer  from  anxiety,  morbid  intro- 
spection, self-consciousness,  or  the  abnormal  fixation  of  the  mind 
upon  some  special  mental  state  or  some  particular  physical 
function. 

Before  giving  attention  to  the  diverse  methods  of  psychic 
treatment,  it  will  be  well  briefly  to  review  the  psychologic  prin- 
ciples which  underlie  the  successful  and  scientific  employment 
of  psychotherapy. 

FICTITIOUS   SENSATIONS  AND  FALSE   IDEAS 

Attention  has  been  previously  called  to  the  fact  that  fictitious 
sensations  may  be  produced  by  stimulation  of  the  sense  organs, 
or  more  directly  by  immediate  excitation  of  the  central  areas 
in  the  brain,  the  sense  organ  performing  no  function  in  the  case 
whatever.  Furthermore,  it  has  been  observed  that,  however 
these  sensations  are  occasioned,  they  are  interpreted  (unless  the 
patient  corrects  himself  by  reflection)  as  if  they  arose  through 
the  usual  stimulation  of  the  peripheral  terminals  of  the  nervous 
mechanism.  On  the  other  hand,  false  and  deceptive  thoughts, 
ideas  untrue  to  the  facts,  may  assemble  in  the  mind  and  palm 
themselves  off  in  the  sufferer's  reason  and  judgment  as  being 
the  real  and  legitimate  offspring  of  bona-fide  experience  and 
mature  reflection.  In  this  way,  it  is  possible  for  a  man  to  form 
ideas  which  are  highly  deceptive,  and  conclusions  which  are 
directly  false,  and,  in  the  end,  lead  to  misdirection  of  action  and 
misadaptation  to  one's  health,  habits,  and  environment. 

A  very  good  illustration  of  the  unreality  of  some  sensations  is 
the  common  experience  of  "  seeing  stars  "  when  we  receive  a 
powerful  blow  between  the  eyes.  Of  course,  every  one  knows 
that  he  does  not  see  real  stars  under  such  circumstances.  These 
false  ones  are  brought  to  view  as  a  result  of  irritating  the  optic 


MODERN  PSYCHOTHERAPY  407 

nerve,  which,  in  turn,  arouses  special  sensations  of  light,  which 
are  referred  outward  into  space  —  where  we  commonly  observe 
the  stars.  Patients  who  have  had  the  eye  removed  without  an 
anaesthetic  have  described  their  experience  at  the  moment  the 
optic  nerve  was  severed,  as  that  of  the  sensation  produced  by  a 
sudden  flash  of  light. 

DISLOCATION   OF  IDEAS 

By  referring  back  to  the  diagrammatic  representation  of  men- 
tal processes  (Fig.  9.),  the  reader  will  observe  how  easy  it  must 
be  to  get  our  thoughts  and  ideas  sidetracked  in  that  complicated 
mind-centre  known  as  the  association  of  ideas.  Not  infrequently 
it  happens  that  whole  groups  of  thoughts,  ideas,  and  memories 
become  detached,  lost  from  their  fellows,  and  in  this  way  our 
thinking  becomes  more  or  less  fragmentary,  our  conclusions  in- 
complete and  immature ;  and  the  resultant  actions  and  habits  are 
wholly  unadapted  to  the  circumstances.  Unbalanced  and  one- 
sided thinking  always  results  in  perverting  and  destroying  the 
reliability  of  the  mental  action  and  the  resultant  physical 
behavior. 

The  tendency  toward  the  formation  of  groups  of  associated 
memory  images,  of  whatever  sort,  is  the  means  of  their  con- 
servation; that  is,  of  their  retention  in  such  a  form  that  they 
may  be  recovered  when  occasion  demands;  and  this,  on  the 
whole,  is  a  happy  economy  of  nature.  In  some  cases,  however, 
we  would  welcome  an  exception  to  such  economy.  When  the 
memory  of  a  fear  or  an  alarm  has  become  the  hub  of  an  asso- 
ciated group  of  ideas,  it  often  occurs  that  the  arousal  of  any 
idea  in  the  group  may  have  the  effect  of  arousing  that  central 
fear  in  all  its  original  intensity  and  with  all  the  agitation  and 
other  physical  symptoms,  which,  in  the  original  instance,  accom- 
panied the  emotion.  For  example,  a  person  who  was  in  a  run- 
away ten  years  ago  and  was  greatly  frightened  thereby  may 
to-day,  while  quietly  riding  in  a  carriage,  again  experience  the 
memory  image  of  the  runaway.  Thereupon  his  heart  begins  to 
palpitate,  and  his  hands  to  shake;  a  feeling  of  great  muscular 
weakness  arises;  he  displays  all  the  physical  symptoms  of  the 
emotion ;  in  fact,  he  is  again  stricken  with  profound  fear.  And 
so  it  is  in  general ;  fear  or  other  emotional  disturbances  of  long 


4o8       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

ago,  in  the  meantime  apparently  buried  or  effaced  by  the  accu- 
mulation of  the  experiences  of  the  years,  may  to-day  be  brought 
to  the  light  through  the  influence  of  a  happy  —  or  unhappy  — 
associated  experience.  This  fact  has  an  important  bearing  in 
both  the  diagnosis  and  the  treatment  of  many  psycho-physiolog- 
ical phenomena. 

SUGGESTIVE    IMAGINATIONS    AND  DREAMS 

A  great  deal  of  nervousness,  fear,  worry,  and  even  obsession, 
is  found  sometimes  to  have  originated  in  connection  with 
dreams.  Certain  susceptible  persons,  when  not  sleeping  soundly, 
become  terribly  frightened  in  connection  with  some  dream ;  and 
on  awaking  suddenly,  this  fear  is  carried  over  into  the  waking 
state,  accompanied  by  the  physiological  perturbations  which 
usually  accompany  fright.  Thus  this  idea  becomes  associated 
in  the  mind  as  the  centre  of  that  group  of  fear  thoughts  and 
ideas,  so  that  in  the  future,  if  this  morbid  state  of  mind  is  not 
resisted  and  overcome,  the  memory  of  that  dream  or  of  experi- 
ences similar  to  those  which  have  been  imaged  in  the  dream, 
will  be  sufficient  to  arouse  all  these  feelings  of  fear  and  to  re- 
produce the  physical  exhibitions  of  fright ;  and  if  this  matter  is 
allowed  to  go  on  and  increase,  in  time  it  may  give  rise  to  a 
veritable  obsession. 

There  are  numerous  cases  on  record  in  which  some  psychic 
shock,  afterwards  entirely  forgotten,  has  given  rise  to  mental 
aberration  and  even  insanity;  as  some  one  has  said,  hallucina- 
tions are  merely  waking  dreams,  while  dreams  were  merely 
sleeping  hallucinations.  Dreams  unconsciously  influence  the 
mind.  Although  not  remembered  in  the  waking  moments,  they 
may,  nevertheless,  as  indefinable  mental  traces,  or  predisposi- 
tions, determine  the  association  of  ideas.  Thus  they  may,  in  a 
perfectly  normal  way,  affect  behavior,  and  even  the  logical 
sequence  of  our  judgments. 

What  has  been  said  of  the  effect  of  dreams  may  also  be  said 
of  the  imaginations  of  our  waking  hours.  They,  too,  may  in- 
fluence and  direct  both  mind  and  body;  and  they  may  guide  us 
in  the  way  toward  depression  and  disease,  or  into  channels  of 
happiness  and  health. 


MODERN  PSYCHOTHERAPY  409 

ASSOCIATIVE  MEMORIES 

As  formerly  noted,  only  animals  possessing  associative  mem- 
ories are  addicted  to  worry.  The  associations  formed  by  ideas 
before  they  are  finally  deposited  in  the  memory,  have  much  to  do 
with  our  future  habits  of  thought  and  consequent  modes  of 
action.  The  author  some  years  ago  had  under  observation  a 
patient  suffering  from  Jacksonian  epilepsy,  who  frequently  had 
attacks  of  post-epileptic  insanity  covering  periods  of  several 
days.  During  this  time,  it  was  observed  that  certain  ideas  or 
emotions  would  almost  always  result  in  convulsive  paroxysms 
and  would  usually  be  followed  by  an  indefinite  chronological 
recital  of  his  life-experience,  beginning  at  some  certain  point 
and  continuing  progressively  until  the  next  fit,  thus  demonstrat- 
ing conclusively  that  certain  ideas  and  actions  were  so  associated 
in  his  mind  and  memory  as  invariably  to  result  in  the  production 
of  convulsive  attacks  when  the  patient  was  in  this  peculiar 
state  of  temporary  mental  aberration.  For  a  more  complete  ac- 
count of  this  remarkable  case,  the  reader  is  referred  to  Appen- 
dix B. 

"  COMPLEX    FORMATION  " 

It  is  one  of  the  fundamental  laws  of  psychology  that  our  sen- 
sations, feelings,  ideas,  movements,  and  visceral  functions  —  of 
any  and  all  kinds  —  when  frequently  repeated  or  when  accom- 
panied by  unusual  emotion,  become  bound  together  —  associated 
or  grouped  together  in  such  a  way  that  the  excitation  of  any 
one  member  of  the  group,  sets  in  action  all  the  others.  This 
binding  up  together  of  ideas  and  emotions,  actions  and  mem- 
ories, is  known  in  psychology  as  "  complex  formation."  It  is 
dependent  upon  the  ability  of  the  mind  to  associate  ideas  and 
memories,  and  is  one  of  the  links  in  the  chain  which  explains 
habit  formation.  "  Good  complexes "  result  in  the  formation 
of  good  habits  of  thought  and  action,  while  "  bad  complexes  " 
result  in  bad  habits  of  thinking  and  acting  —  worry,  obsessions, 
or  even  fixed  delusions. 

In  the  normal  man,  the  majority  of  these  complex  formations 
are  healthful  and  useful.  Illustrations  of  such  complexes,  which 
consist  both  of  memory  of  mental  processes  and  of  muscular 
activity,  are  found  in  those  exceedingly  intricate  complexes  in- 


410       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

volved  in  writing,  piano  playing,  and  other  delicate  muscular 
movements  involving  an  intimate  association  of  ideas  and 
physical  processes. 

And  so  in  neurasthenia,  certain  ideas  and  thoughts  may  be- 
come illegitimately  attached  to  or  associated  with  certain 
physical  conditions,  so  that  the  thinking  of  these  thoughts  may 
result  in  the  production  of  dizziness,  trembling,  or  palpitation  of 
the  heart.  This  whole  proposition  is  one  of  education  —  repeti- 
tion of  our  methods  of  thought  and  modes  of  action.  These 
unhealthy  complexes  may  be  formed  as  the  result  of  persistent 
and  long-continued  misthought  and  wrong  action.  On  the  other 
hand,  they  may  be  formed  wholly  unintentionally  or  purely 
accidentally,  certain  nervous  persons  associating  certain  ideas 
and  certain  acts  without  the  least  intention  of  so  doing. 

Therapeutic  methods  of  complex  formation,  together  with 
other  procedures  which  can  be  utilized  in  the  reeducation  of 
nervous  patients,  will  be  noted  later.  It  might  be  well  to  note 
in  passing  that  abnormal  complexes  are  the  explanation  of 
many  so-called  functional  diseases,  while  they  certainly  demon- 
strate the  fallacy  of  all  teaching  which  denies  the  existence  of 
purely  functional  disorders. 

Complex  formation  further  explains  the  peculiar  and  some- 
times rapidly  changing  moods  which  some  persons  exhibit. 
When  the  mind  falls  under  the  control  and  domination  of  a  set 
of  abnormal  complexes,  the  disposition  and  temperament  are  so 
largely  and  suddenly  modified  as  almost  to  amount  to  a  change 
in  personality.  Indeed,  these  changing  moods  might  very  prop- 
erly be  looked  upon  as  a  mild  form  of  multiple  personality. 

The  physiological  memory  becomes  bound  up  in  these  numer- 
ous memory  complexes,  as  shown  in  Pawlow's  dogs.  It  was 
necessary  only  to  show  the  dogs  sand,  bread,  or  meat,  when  they 
began  immediately  to  secrete  a  saliva  which  corresponded  to 
the  food  or  other  substances  seen.  That  is,  the  sight,  the  mem- 
ory, of  an  article  of  food  resulted  in  producing  the  same  quality 
of  saliva  that  would  be  secreted  if  that  food  were  actually  in 
the  mouth.  This  same  memory  association  is  shown  in  the 
common  tendency  of  the  bladder  to  empty  itself  when  a  person 
hears  the  sound  of  running  water.    This  may  also  explain  why 


MODERN  PSYCHOTHERAPY  411 

the  sight  of  a  rose  (even  a  wax  rose)  is  sufficient  to  give  some 
persons  an  attack  of  hay-fever. 

DISSOCIATION  OF   IDEAS 

It  is  entirely  possible  for  a  group  or  a  number  of  groups  of 
ideas  to  become  so  associated,  established,  and  isolated,  as  to 
set  themselves  up  in  some  corner  of  the  mental  domain  as  a 
new  personality;  that  is,  when  the  mental  functions  are  not 
harmoniously  and  uniformly  bound  up  and  held  together  in  the 
state  of  consciousness,  or  when  as  a  result  of  disease,  the  con- 
tinuity of  contact,  or  the  power  of  intercommunication  is  in 
some  way  interfered  with  or  destroyed  —  we  may  then  have 
exhibitions  of  that  remarkable  phenomenon,  multiple  person- 
ality. This,  at  any  rate,  is  one  of  the  well-known  explanations 
of  multiple  personality. 

It  often  happens  that  a  man  is  called  upon  not  only  to  experi- 
ence the  common  warfare  between  the  so-called  carnal  and 
spiritual  natures,  but  he  may  also  have  within  himself,  appar- 
ently, two  distinct  personalities  or  minds  —  personalities  which 
may  be  diametrically  opposite  to  each  other,  and  which  may 
alternate  in  the  control  of  his  life.  These  conditions  explain 
the  difficulty  some  people  have  in  controlling  certain  ideas  or 
groups  of  ideas,  which  have  taken  fast  hold  of  their  minds. 
The  methods  of  dealing  with  these  conditions  as  well  as  the 
most  interesting  account  of  the  remarkable  case  of  Miss  Beau- 
champ —  who  had  four  distinct  personalities  —  will  be  found 
quite  fully  described  in  Appendix  C. 

Complete  or  partial  dissociation  of  ideas  coupled  with  irrita- 
tion and  undue  activity  of  the  sympathetic  nervous  system 
constitutes  the  explanation  of  hysteria,  while  common,  every- 
day forgetfulness  and  absent-mindedness  are  illustrations  and 
demonstrations  of  a  mild  degree  and  temporary  phase  of  disso- 
ciation. Some  form  of  dissociation  is. usually  present  in  most 
cases  of  marked  neurasthenia,  while  such  a  condition  is  usually 
to  be  found  even  in  mild  hysteria.  Certain  ideas,  emotions,  and 
conclusions  may  become  detached  from  the  mental  stream  of 
consciousness  in  the  dream  state.  These  dissociated  complexes 
either  as  minds  different  from  the  old,  or  as  distortions  of  the 
old  mind,  may  obtain  such  control  as  to  produce  what  in  the 


412       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

dream  state  would  be  called  nightmares,  but  in  the  waking 
state,  hysterical  seizures  or  delusions.  Such  a  psychic  state 
might  be  described  as  a  case  of  "  subconscious  nightmare,"  or 
as  a  condition  of  mind  in  which  the  patient  may  be  said  to  be 
suffering  from  "  fixed  dreams."  This  is  probably  the  state  of 
the  mind  which  prevails  when  certain  nervous  persons  are  said 
to  have  "brain  storms." 

Dissociation  is  the  explanation  of  those  interesting  and  re- 
markable cases  where  long  periods  of  time  are  literally  blotted 
out  of  the  mind  —  at  least  out  of  the  conscious  memory.  In 
those  cases  where  the  patient  is  unable  to  remember  anything 
that  occurred  in  his  experience  for  a  certain  period,  it  is  known 
that  the  memories  of  those  experiences  are  really  retained,  for 
they  can  be  recovered  in  hypnosis,  but  as  they  are  dissociated 
from  the  memory  images  which  are  a  part  of  his  everyday  con- 
scious life,  they  are  apparently  lost. 

That  the  deformities  and  paralyses  of  hysteria  are  purely 
functional  and  due  to  dissociation  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  we 
can  both  produce  and  remove  these  symptoms  by  suggestion. 
And  right  here  is  the  secret  of  the  successful  treatment  of  such 
cases:  they  can  be  cured  by  building  up  new  associations  of 
ideas,  new  complexes,  which  shall  be  able  to  overpower  and 
eject  the  old  and  abnormal  association  of  ideas. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  in  discussing  and  dealing  with 
the  phenomenon  of  dissociation  we  are  considering  a  perfectly 
normal  process.  Dissociation  becomes  harmful  only  when  per- 
verted or  misused.  Normal  sleep  is  probably  due  to  dissociation, 
resultant  from  the  loosening  of  the  physical  contact  between  the 
processes  of  the  nerve  cells  in  the  brain. 

PSYCHIC    INSURRECTION 

Psychic  insurrection,  or  automatism,  is  the  explanation  of  how 
a  group  of  mental  habits  may  become  so  strong  and  individual- 
ized as  to  be  able  to  control  the  behavior  of  mind  and  body,  and 
thus  to  dominate  a  man  and  influence  the  formation  of  his 
character.  When  our  mental  habits  become  thus  organized  and 
employed  they  may  be  fittingly  compared  to  a  provincial  rebel- 
lion in  an  empire.  They  represent  certain  groups  of  ideas 
which  seek  not  only  to  free  themselves  from  the  sovereignty  of 


MODERN  PSYCHOTHERAPY  413 

the  will  —  not  only  to  be  free  and  independent  of  all  other 
mental  processes,  but  ultimately  to  eliminate  them,  and  so  of 
themselves  to  exercise  complete  control.  Thus  it  is  that  our 
habits  first  lead  us  astray,  then  assert  their  independence  of  our 
control,  and  subsequently  establish  a  tyrannical  mastery  over 
us,  over  both  mind  and  body. 

And  so  in  the  establishment  of  fixed  habits  of  thought,  and 
in  the  formation  of  deep-rooted  beliefs  and  vivid  ideas,  we  are 
unconsciously  forming  those  complexes  which  in  time,  if  not 
carefully  controlled,  may  secede  from  the  commonwealth  of 
consciousness  and  establish  themselves  in  the  role  of  psychic 
rebels  —  become  capable  of  more  or  less  independent  thought 
and  uncontrolled  habit. 

Again,  we  are  dealing  with  a  condition  which  is  normal  to 
the  healthy  mind.  Automatism  is  simply  a  scheme  of  economy 
in  expression,  an  association  of  thoughts  and  actions  into  groups 
ready  for  immediate  expression.  Certain  explosive  phrases  and 
appropriate  gestures  always  accompany  the  indulgence  of  emo- 
tional states  of  mind.  Accordingly,  when  these  same  groups  of 
associated  ideas  become  more  or  less  dissociated  from  the  main 
stream  of  consciousness,  they  become  capable  of  independent 
and  mischievous  action.  The  reassociation,  the  subjugation,  of 
these  belligerent  complexes  or  groups  of  ideas  is  the  aim  of  all 
modern  methods  of  psychotherapy. 

EMOTIONAL    ENERGY 

Excess  of  emotion  stimulates  the  physiological  functions  to 
undue  activity,  while  depressive  emotions  produce  opposite  ef- 
fects. It  is  now  generally  recognized  that  every  thought, 
every  idea,  is  attached  to  what  psychologists  call  "a  feeling 
tone  " ;  that  is,  a  given  idea  is  always  accompanied  by  a  certain 
emotional  phase. 

Sometimes  the  intensity  of  our  emotions  is  disproportionate 
to  the  importance  of  the  idea;  sometimes  the  emotion  itself 
may  be  inappropriate  to  the  content  of  the  idea  or  the  character 
of  the  external  situation.  For  instance,  one  may  abnormally  de- 
rive distinct  pleasure  from  sel f -mutilation ;  the  emotion  is  then 
inappropriate  to  the  situation.  The  repetition  of  such  a  con- 
nection   creates    a    predisposition    thereto,    and     it    becomes 


414       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

established  as  a  habit.  In  time,  the  emotions  came  to  wear  for 
themselves  certain  definite  psychological  ruts.  With  the  increas- 
ing distinctness  of  the  situation,  or  vividness  of  the  idea,  as 
the  case  may  be,  the  emotional  element  may  become  exaggerated 
and  enormously  disproportioned,  as  seen  in  hysteria  and 
insanity. 

On  the  other  hand  —  and  here  is  a  great  opportunity  for  treat- 
ing both  psychic  disorders  and  physical  diseases  —  if  the 
emotions  of  health  and  happiness,  of  joy  and  pleasure,  can  be 
associated  with  certain  ideas,  and  those  ideas  are  persistently 
expressed,  it  will  readily  appear  that  the  establishment  of  these 
new  habits  of  thinking  will  result  in  the  establishment  of  more 
intensified  emotions  of  happiness  and  health.  These  new  com- 
plexes are  able  to  arouse  feelings  of  courage,  energy,  well- 
being,  and  capacity  for  work;  whereas  the  old  and  depressive 
complexes  never  failed  to  originate  feelings  of  fatigue,  de- 
spondency, and  indisposition  for  work.  Exalting  emotions 
exert  an  organizing  and  rallying  influence  upon  the  mind  and 
body,  while  the  depressive  emotions  operate  to  disintegrate  and 
disorganize  the  mind,  producing  the  so-called  "  emotional 
trauma  "  of  the  psychologists. 

The  field  of  emotional  energy  promises  great  things  to  the 
future  of  psychotherapy.  Herein  is  the  explanation  of  the 
almost  unlimited  power  of  religious  emotion  —  which,  as  pre- 
viously noted —  is  able  to  appeal  to  the  largest  possible  group 
of  mental  units,  and  exerts  the  greatest  possible  influence  over 
the  mental  and  emotional  states.  Thus  again,  we  are  dealing 
with  purely  normal  and  natural  psychological  tendencies,  the 
perversion  or  misuse  of  which  constitutes  functional  disease. 

It  is  the  purpose  of  modern  psychotherapy  to  utilize  system- 
atically and  scientifically  the  natural  mechanisms  of  the  mind 
in  an  effort  to  restore  the  psychic  elements  to  their  normal 
relationship  to  one  another  and  to  the  mind  as  a  whole,  and  thus 
contribute  to  the  development  of  a  strong  mind  and  a  healthy 
body,  that  is,  to  happiness. 

PSYCHO-ANALYSIS,    OR    MENTAL    DIAGNOSIS 

It  not  infrequently  happens  that  some  group  or  groups  of 
ideas  which  become  formulated  in  the  mind,  for  some  reason  or 


MODERN  PSYCHOTHERAPY  415 

other,  are  unacceptable  to  the  mind  as  a  whole.  The  person- 
ality —  the  mind  —  fails  properly  to  assimilate  this  particular 
group  of  ideas.  The  mind  is  active  to  subjugate  these  ideas  and 
emotions  —  it  tries  to  submerge  and  suppress.  But  it  often  ap- 
pears that  this  temporarily  suppressed  and  rejected  complex  has 
acquired  the  power  and  dignity  of  a  separate  and  automatic 
existence;  and  thus  it  continues  to  act  the  role  of  a  mischief- 
making  intruder  in  the  commonwealth  of  the  mind,  just  as  some 
foreign  body  would  produce  troubles  in  the  physical  organiza- 
tion. And  thus  it  would  appear  that  many  forms  of  psycho- 
neurosis,  such  as  worry  or  obsession,  are  indirectly  due  to  this 
incomplete  digestion,  this  crippled  mental  assimilation. 

Professor  Freud  years  ago  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  a 
great  number  of  the  common  psycho-neuroses  owe  their  origin 
to  a  protracted  conflict  or  disagreement  between  two  groups  of 
ideas  or  two  inharmonious  modes  of  thinking.  To  illustrate 
this  theory  of  the  origin  and  nature  of  many  of  our  mental  dif- 
ficulties, let  us  suppose  that  a  highly  conscientious  and  religious 
person  should  passingly  conceive  the  idea  of  committing  some 
shocking  crime.  The,  thought  of  this  wickedness  arises  in  his 
consciousness,  but  it  so  shocks  and  horrifies  his  moral  sensi- 
bilities that  he  immediately  represses  and  disowns  the  idea. 
Every  time  this  group  of  ideas  arises  in  his  mind  he  again 
promptly  denies  his  responsibility  therefor.  He  resists,  combats, 
represses,  denies,  and  fights  the  idea,  and  all  the  while  his  very 
mental  warfare  constitutes  an  ever-present  source  of  auto- 
suggestion which  tends  to  grow  stronger  and  stronger,  impelling 
him  to  do  the  very  thing  he  is  fighting  to  keep  from  doing. 

The  methods  of  psycho-analysis  would  suggest  that  the 
tempted  and  tortured  soul  promptly  recognize  this  wicked  group 
of  ideas  as  a  dangerous  intruder  into  an  otherwise  peaceful, 
well-disposed  intellect,  and  that  its  existence  be  fully  acknowl- 
edged. Further,  instead  of  making  incessant  resistance,  he 
should  begin  the  process  of  full  acceptance  and  immediate  diges- 
tion and  assimilation  of  the  idea,  and  then  promptly  and 
effectively  eliminate  the  whole  wicked  thing  from  the  psychic 
domain,  leaving  behind  only  the  memory  of  having  effected  its 
overthrow   and  banishment. 


4i6       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

The  actual  process  of  accepting,  digesting,  assimilating,  and 
eliminating  an  undesirable  idea  is  carried  out  somewhat  as 
follows:  First,  confess,  acknowledge  the  existence  of  the  idea; 
face  it  like  a  man ;  do  not  shun,  disown,  or  deny  the  thing.  Sec- 
ond, instead  of  continually  resisting  the  offending  idea,  cultivate, 
strengthen,  and  multiply  the  opposite  groups  of  ideas  —  think 
opposite  thoughts  —  until  its  psychic  fellows,  as  it  were,  become 
sufficiently  strong  to  swallow  up  the  bad  idea  with  their  super- 
abundance of  good  ideas.  This  is  what  is  meant  by  the 
psychological  term  of  "  digestion  and  assimilation  " ;  and  then 
the  bad  idea  becomes  lost  to  our  psychic  view ;  it  is  eliminated. 
And  is  not  this  the  very  essence  of  that  old  philosophy  of  "  over- 
coming evil  with  good  "  ? 

If  these  disturbing  ideas  be  not  thus  permanently  cast  down 
and  destroyed,  they  may  linger  for  years  in  the  marginal  con- 
sciousness (the  subconscious  mind),  from  which  point  they  are 
able  to  haunt,  tempt,  and  torture  their  victims  indirectly 
through  dreams  and  by  their  continuous  unconscious  activities. 

One  of  the  factors  in  the  successful  practice  of  modern  psy- 
chotherapy is  the  process  of  definitely  locating  these  mischief- 
making,  foreign  groups  of  ideas  which  have  not  been  taken  up 
and  properly  assimilated  by  the  whole  mind;  and  it  is  this 
process  of  isolating  and  recognizing  the  precise  and  definite  idea 
which  is  making  trouble  in  the  mind,  that  is  known  as  psycho- 
analysis. It  represents  to  the  realm  of  mental  disorders  what 
definite  physical  examination  and  precise  diagnosis  does  in  the 
world  of  physical  diseases.  We  cannot  successfully  treat  mental 
disturbances  without  securing  exact  knowledge  respecting  their 
cause. 

While  hypnotism  may  apparently  remove  many  of  these 
psychic  symptoms  for  the  time  being,  it  is  unable  to  effect  a  real 
cure.  Almost  invariably  they  speedily  return.  The  only  value 
of  hypnotism  in  these  cases  (and  even  here  it  is  of  doubtful 
value)  is  that  it  sometimes  assists  in  locating  the  group  of  ideas 
concerned  in  the  process  of  mental  diagnosis.  When  the  suf- 
ferers are  of  themselves  unable  definitely  to  locate  the  psychic 
origin  of  their  trouble,  it  is  sometimes  found  that  in  a  state  of 
hypnosis  it  is  very  easy  to  secure  from  them  an  exact  idea  as 
to  the  nature  and  extent  of  these  psychic  disturbers. 


MODERN  PSYCHOTHERAPY  417 

As  far  as  the  author  has  been  able  to  observe,  this  is  about 
the  only  useful  purpose  hypnotism  can  be  put  to  in  the  treatment 
of  psychic  disturbances,  and  then  its  usefulness  is  strictly  limited 
to  the  process  of  diagnosing  the  condition.  Hypnotism  will  be 
more  fully  dealt  with  in  another  place.  This  method  of  psycho- 
analysis is  destined  to  become  the  great  field  of  future  expert 
work  in  psychotherapy;  and  it  bids  fair  actually  to  accomplish 
the  brilliant  results  which  were  expected  of  hypnotism  alone, 
but  which  have  not  ensued.  Of  far  more  value  than  hypnotism 
in  this  work  of  mental  diagnosis  is  the  method  known  as  "  free 
association  of  ideas."  This  consists  in  suggesting  a  central  idea 
and  then  allowing  it  to  call  up  its  associated  memories,  in  this 
way  seeking  to  uncover  the  real  psychic  source  of  the  difficulty. 
Much  can  also  be  learned  by  a  study  of  the  patient's  manner- 
isms, conversation,  and  other  personal  traits,  not  to  mention  his 
dreams.  For  a  further  consideration  of  the  subject  of  mental 
diagnosis  by  the  reaction  method,  the  reader  is  referred  to 
Appendix  D. 

In  conclusion,  attention  should  be  called  to  the  fact  that 
psycho-analysis  and  reeducation  are  not  founded  on  the  great 
laws  of  suggestive  therapeutics  —  they  are  purely  educational; 
and  while  these  methods  have  much  that  is  in  common  with 
suggestion,  they  must  be  regarded  as  a  distinct  and  separate 
phase  of  psychotherapy.  There  can  be  little  doubt  that  the 
great  psychic  upheavals  which  accompany  religious  "  conver- 
sions "  and  similar  mental  revolutions  do  actually  rearrange  and 
realign  many  of  these  groups  of  ideas  to  such  an  extent  that 
the  sufferer  not  only  becomes  possessed  of  a  "  new  mind,"  in  a 
spiritual  sense,  but  that  he  literally  has  a  new  mind  in  the 
psychologic  sense  also. 

SUGGESTION    AND    REEDUCATION 

The  power  of  suggestion  and  the  principles  of  reeducation 
constitute  the  fundamental  laws  underlying  all  the  various  suc- 
cessful methods  of  treating  psychic  disorders.  That  this  is  true 
is  evidenced  from  the  entire  philosophy  and  experience  of  men- 
tal healing.  It  is  certainly  true  that  man,  in  the  highest  sense, 
is  a  suggestible  animal,  a  creature  highly  susceptible  of  educa- 
tion and  reeducation. 


4i8       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

The  suggestion  may  often  be  hidden,  even  as  it  is  in  the  case 
of  the  regular  practice  of  medicine,  for  it  is  undoubtedly  true 
that  the  more  faith  the  patient  has  in  the  drugs  he  takes,  the 
more  good  he  gets  from  them.  We  have  to  recognize  the 
psychic  element  even  in  the  use  of  electricity,  baths,  and  mas- 
sage, and,  of  course,  it  becomes  the  exclusive  element  operating 
in  the  various  cults  of  mental  healing,  including  Christian 
Science. 

Suggestion-education  is  what  led  the  common  peopte  into 
their  disastrous  patent-medicine  habits.  They  soon  discovered 
that  the  doctor  had  a  drug  for  every  symptom,  for  every  dis- 
ease. They  observed  that  the  final  result  of  his  numerous 
well-charged- for  visits  was  usually  a  row  of  empty  medicine 
bottles  setting  on  the  table;  and  so  instinctively  seeking  to 
obviate  this  expensive  middleman,  they  went  direct  to  the 
drug  store  for  their  medicines,  and,  after  reading  the  literature 
and  the  rosy  testimonials  accompanying  their  patent  remedies, 
they  came  to  acquire  great  faith  in  the  new  medicine,  took  it, 
and  usually  got  well. 

But  it  is  the  reeducation  of  the  will  with  which  we  are  most 
concerned  in  modern  psychotherapy.  As  the  result  of  psycho- 
analysis, we  are  able  quite  accurately  to  locate  the  cause  of  the 
mental  disorder.  Suggestion  represents  the  general  method  of 
our  treatment,  while  the  reeducation  of  the  will  is  the  goal 
toward  which  we  are  steadily  aiming,  to  enable  the  patient 
to  become  the  master  of  himself,  to  reinstate  the  will  in  its 
place  of  sovereign  ruler  over  mind  and  body.  But  more  about 
both  of  these  methods  in  succeeding  chapters. 

THE   TREATMENT   OF    THE    FATIGUE    STATES 

Physiological  fatigue  is  explained  by  the  fact  that  physical 
work  actually  destroys  muscular  substance;  and  by  the  further 
fact  that  bodily  activity  results  in  the  production  of  certain 
metabolic  poisons  of  an  acid  nature,  which  circulate  in  the 
blood  and  tend  to  depress  both  mind  and  body.  Psychic  fa- 
tigue is  explained  on  the  ground  of  the  exhaustion  of  the 
energy  granules  found  in  the  cell  bodies  of  the  neurons;  but 
independent  of  the  combined  physical  and  psychic  fatigue 
which  overtakes  one  as  the  result  of  a  hard  day's  work,  we  are 


MODERN  PSYCHOTHERAPY  419 

frequently  brought  face  to  face  with  cases  of  psycho-pathologi- 
cal fatigue  —  fatigue  which  is  out  of  all  proportion  to  the 
preceding  mental  and  physical  exertion,  and  which  is  quite  un- 
relieved by  prolonged  rest.  That  these  forms  of  nervous 
fatigue  are  artificial  —  really  fictitious  —  is  further  indicated 
by  the  fact  that  they  can  often  be  entirely  relieved  by 
suggestion. 

It  is  evident  that  the  fatigue  of  nervous  prostration,  neuras- 
thenia, or  brain-fag  is  due  to  changes  which  are  wholly  psychic. 
In  the  case  of  the  neurasthenic,  it  is  certainly  due  to  the  fact 
that  the  sufferer  has  formed  certain  adverse  idea  associations 
or  complexes,  to  whose  depressing  influence  this  chronic  state 
of  fatigue  must  be  charged.  It  is  simply  a  case  where  the 
central  idea  in  numerous  groups  has  become  an  idea  of  fatigue ; 
and  as  long  as  these  convictions  of  weariness  dominate  the 
personality,  both  mind  and  body  are  doomed  to  suffer  the  tor- 
tures and  handicaps  of  this  continued  feeling  of  weariness. 

What  takes  place  in  the  mind  in  the  case  of  the  sudden  and 
complete  exhaustion  which  overtakes  the  patient,  as  a  result  of 
nervous  shock  or  extraordinary  fright?  In  this  case,  the  fa- 
tigue is  probably  best  explained  by  assuming  that  the  shock 
produces  a  state  of  comparative  dissociation,  more  or  less  re- 
sembling the  psychic  and  nervous  states  which  precede  sleep,  a 
more  or  less  complete  breaking  of  contact  between  the  neurons 
of  the  central  nervous  system,  as  well  as  a  dissociation  of  idea 
complexes. 

The  author  has  had  the  greatest  success  in  treating  these 
fatigue  cases  by  the  direct  and  honest  conversational  method, 
first  recommended  by  Dubois.  This  consists  in  systematically 
and  judiciously  laying  the  real  facts  before  the  patient,  and  while 
physical  treatment,  such  as  baths,  etc.,  is  administered  to  alle- 
viate his  symptoms,  the  real  dependence  to  effect  a  cure  is 
placed  upon  this  suggestion  and  reeducation. 

The  so-called  rest-cure  is  of  use  in  some  of  these  cases,  but 
the  majority  of  neurasthenics  are  better  helped  by  the  work- 
cure,  which  will  be  presently  considered.  If  the  confidence  and 
cooperation  of  the  neurasthenic  can  be  fully  secured,  the  prog- 
ress he  will  make  under  a   few  weeks  of  treatment  by  these 


420      THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

simple  methods  is  sometimes  phenomenal,  provided  the  physi- 
cian is  wise  and  positive  in  his  procedure.  Much  depends  on 
the  wise  planning  of  the  patient's  regime,  so  as  not  to  over- 
work him,  all  the  while  providing  him  with  a  reasonable  amount 
of  good  and  nutritious  food. 

We  recently  had  under  treatment  an  attorney  who  had  suf- 
fered three  distinct  attacks  of  nervous  prostration.  He  was 
scarcely  able  to  leave  his  bed,  had  distressing  headaches,  and 
all  the  other  symptoms  of  neurasthenia.  Three  months  of 
treatment  in  a  well-equipped  sanitarium  had  helped  him  but 
little.  He  came  to  us  for  the  purpose  of  continuing  his  baths 
and  massage.  After  several  weeks  of  this  treatment,  with 
but  little  apparent  improvement,  we  devoted  fifteen  minutes, 
two  times  a  week,  to  a  straight  but  graduated  conversation- 
method  of  laying  before  him  the  real  cause  of  his  fatigue,  and 
enlisting  his  mental  and  moral  cooperation  in  its  mastery.  In 
less  than  two  weeks  he  began  to  gain  in  weight  and  to  recuper- 
ate his  strength;  and  at  the  end  of  four  weeks  he  stopped  all 
treatment,  resumed  his  practice,  and  to  all  practical  purposes 
was  fully  cured. 

HYPNOTISM 

The  employment  of  hypnotism  in  psychotherapeutic  proced- 
ure is  with  the  idea  of  increasing  the  suggestibility  of  the 
patient  and  facilitating  the  formation  of  new  and  healthy  com- 
plexes in  his  psychic  life.  While  it  must  be  admitted  that 
hypnotism  does  greatly  increase  suggestibility,  it  has  been 
found  that  this  state  is  transient  and  the  desired  effects  are  not 
permanent.  It  further  appears  that,  when  skilfully  made,  sug- 
gestions are  just  as  acceptable  and  influential  to  the  waking 
mind  as  to  the  sleeping;  while  the  newer  processes  of  reeduca- 
tion and  psycho-analysis  can  in  no  possible  way  be  assisted  by 
the  employment  of  hypnosis.  Hypnotism  has  been  enthusiastic- 
ally tried  —  and  been  found  woefully  wanting.  Its  value  is 
demonstrated  only  in  certain  rare  cases,  and  in  connection  with 
perfecting  the  mental  diagnosis  in  certain  difficult  and  obscure 
psychic  disorders. 

The  author  has  come  to  recognize  hypnotism  as  having  but 
little  or  no  value  in  the  practice  of  psychotherapy,  neverthe- 


MODERN  PSYCHOTHERAPY  421 

less,  there  are  certain  misconceptions  of  this  practice  which 
should  be  set  right  in  the  public  mind.  These  wrong  ideas  of 
the  nature  and  practice  of  hypnotism  may  be  summarized  as 
follows : 

1.  Hypnotism  is  in  no  way  related  to  spiritism  and  kindred 
cults.  Hypnotism  is  a  phenomenon  pertaining  to  natural  law, 
and  unconnected  with  spiritism;  it  is  not  the  work  of  either 
bad   spirits    or    good    spirits. 

2.  It  is  generally  supposed  that  a  person  to  be  hypnotized 
must  lose  consciousness,  but  this  is  a  mistake;  many  prac- 
titioners of  hypnosis  seldom  place  their  patients  beyond  that 
drowsy  stage  known  as  the  hypnoidal  state,  in  which  the 
subject  is  really  awake  and  conscious. 

3.  It  is  commonly  believed  that  weak-minded  people  form 
the  best  subjects  for  hypnotism,  but  this  also  is  a  mistake. 
Strong-minded  and  well-educated  persons,  when  willing,  are 
most  readily  hypnotized. 

4.  While  most  people  can  be  hypnotized  if  they  are  willing, 
no  person  can  be  put  into  a  hypnotic  sleep  against  his  will. 

5.  Hypnotism  cannot  be  used  to  compel  persons  to  commit 
crime.  Hypnotized  subjects  will  never  do  things  which  are  con- 
trary to  the  standards  and  practices  of  their  moral  nature. 

THE   WORK  AND  STUDY   CURES 

In  these  days  we  hear  a  great  deal  about  the  work-cure  for 
neurasthenia  and  other  phases  of  psychic  disability.  Great 
good  is  often  accomplished  by  means  of  regular,  systematic, 
and  suitable  physical  employment  for  sufferers  from  these  ail- 
ments. The  work  must  be  one  in  which  the  patient  takes 
pleasure,  and  must  not  be  too  severe  or  too  long  continued. 
(See  Fig.  33.)  The  ancient  rule  of  dividing  the  day  into  eight 
hours  for  work,  eight  hours  for  play,  and  eight  hours  for  sleep 
is  difficult  to  improve  upon.  Pleasure-seeking  as  such  will  not 
help  these  patients  to  any  great  extent.  Theatre-going  and 
all  such  unnatural  forms  of  recreation  will  not  yield  the  de- 
sirable results.  It  is  the  pleasure  which  naturally  arises  from 
having  done  useful  work,  or  having  accomplished  some  actual 
achievement,  that  strengthens  and  comforts  the  neurasthenic. 
The  wise   man  must   have   understood   this   when  he   wrote: 


422       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

"  Whereiore  I  perceive  there  is  nothing  better  than  that  a 
man  should  rejoice  in  his  own  works;  for  that  is  his  portion." 
It  is  certainly  a  great  consolation  to  these  sufferers  to  come  to 
know  that  God  has  given  every  man  his  work  to  do.  This 
spiritual  foundation  for  our  life-work  is  a  great  and  helpful 
incentive  to  many  neurasthenics;  numbers  of  them  have  been 
entirely  cured  by  taking  up  some  special  line  of  study  in  which 
they  are  interested,  and  which  will  not  overtax  their  minds, 
such  as  botany  or  zoology.     (See  Fig.  34.) 

RELIGIOUS   EMOTIONS  AND   MORAL  THERAPEUTICS 

As  noted  in  the  chapter  on  mental  medicine  and  moral  hy- 
giene, religious  suggestions  are  the  most  powerful  in  most 
cases.  It  will  not  be  necessary  to  repeat  here  the  reasons,  as 
they  were  fully  discussed  in  the  chapter  referred  to.  We  will,, 
however,  call  attention  to  the  psychic  value  of  music;  for  it 
must  be  recognized  tfiat  most  of  the  suggestive  influence  con- 
nected with  great  religious  movements  is  to  be  found  in  the 
music. 

The  author  has  carried  forward  many  experiments  for  the 
purpose  of  ascertaining  the  psychological  and  physiological 
effects  of  music.  These  are  largely  dependent  on  its  associa- 
tions, the  general  environment,  the  individual's  appreciation  of 
music,  and  also  upon  his  personal  associations  with  the  particu- 
lar piece  of  music  under  consideration.  While  the  personal 
element  is  largely  concerned  in  determining  the  physiological 
effects  of  music,  there  are  certain  tunes  and  forms  of  rhythm 
which  always  stimulate  the  physical  functions,  increasing  the 
blood-pressure,  the  force  of  the  heart-beat,  and  the  depth  of 
respiration,  as  well   as  heightening  the  mental  activities. 

We  find  that  a  certain  piece  of  music  will  produce  stimulat- 
ing and  exciting  effects  in  one  patient,  while  it  produces 
sedative  and  relaxing  effects  in  another. 

Even  in  ancient  times  the  psychotherapeutic  value  of  music 
must  have  been  recognized,  for  David  was  employed  to  play  be- 
fore Saul  when  the  latter  found  himself  in  bad  humor. 

From  experiments  made  by  the  author  and  others  who  have 
worked  in  this  field,  it  has  been  found  that  the  general  effects 
of  certain  well-known  musical  selections  upon  the  average 
listener  are  as  follows: 


riG.33.     THE  WORK    CURt    FOR    NEURASTHENIA 


m^  \ 


FIG.a^.    THE    STUDY  CURE    FOR   NERVOUS  DISORDERS 


MODERN  PSYCHOTHERAPY 


423 


MUSIC     WHICH     IS     GENERALLY 
STRENGTHENING  AND  STIM- 
ULATING. 

Dixie. 

America. 

My  Maryland. 

Rock  of  Ages. 

Yankee-Doodle. 

The  Old  Oaken  Bucket. 

The  Old  Folks  at  Home. 

My  Old  Kentucky  Home. 

Jesus,  Lover  of  My  Soul. 

Nearer,  My   God,   to  Thee. 

Listen  to  the  Mocking-Bird. 

Onward,  Christian  Soldiers. 

Blest  be  the  Tie  that  Binds. 

All  Hail  the  Power  of  Jesus' 

Name. 
The  Mighty  Fortress  of  Our 

God. 


MUSIC     WHICH     IS     GENERALLY 
WEAKENING      AND      DE- 
PRESSING. 

Ben  Bolt. 
Old  Black  Joe. 
Old  Cabin  Home. 
Stand  up  for  Jesus. 
Home,  Sweet  Home. 
John  Brown's  Body. 
My  Jesus,  I  Love  Thee. 
Jesus,  Saviour,  Pilot  Me. 
I  would  not  Live  Alway. 
We  are  Tenting  To-night. 
The  Star  Spangled  Banner. 
Depths    of    Mercy    can    Ever 

Be. 
Do    They    Think    of    Me    at 

Home? 
Jesus,      I 

Taken. 
Behold,     ; 

Door. 

SUMMARY   OF   THE  CHAPTER 

1.  Psychotherapy  should  not  be  confused  with  so-called 
mind  cure.  Psychotherapy  stands  for  the  systematic,  scientific, 
and  rational  treatment  of  psychic  disturbances  in  accordance 
with  the  laws  of  psychology  and  physiology. 

2.  False  and  deceptive  thoughts  may  assemble  in  the  mind 
and  palm  themselves  off  on  a  person's  reason  and  judgment  as 
being  the  real  and  legitimate  offspring  of  bona-fide  experience 
and  mature  reflection. 

3.  Not  infrequently  whole  groups  of  thoughts,  ideas,  and 
memories  become  detached,  lost  from  their  fellows,  and  this 
results  in  unbalanced,  one-sided,  unhealthy,  and  perverted 
thinking. 

4.  The  associative  grouping  of  our  memory  images  is  a 
means  of  conserving  them;  and  it  often  happens  that  the  re- 
calling of  any  single  idea  in  a  group  will  serve  to  arouse  all 


My     Cross     have 
Stranger    at    the 


424       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

the  ideas,  fears,  and  other  emotions  which  were  originally  asso- 
ciated with  that  idea  or  experience. 

5.  The  basis  for  much  of  our  nervousness,  fear,  worry,  and 
even  obsession,  is  sometimes  found  to  have  originated  in  con- 
nection with  dreams.  Dreams  are  also  able  unconsciously  to 
influence  the  mind  although  the  dream  may  not  be  remembered 
during  the  waking  hours.  Likewise,  conscious  and  unconscious 
products  of  the  imagination  are  able  to  exert  a  powerful  in- 
fluence over  the  mind. 

6.  Associative  memory  may  be  not  only  the  basis  for  worry, 
but  it  may  also  be  an  explanation  of  the  rearousal  of  pas- 
sions, such  as  anger,  by  the  recall  of  certain  ideas;  and  it  may 
explain  even  the  reproduction  of  those  gestures  which  are 
characteristic  of  the  passion. 

7.  This  grouping  or  binding  together  of  ideas  and  memories 
is  known  as  "  complex  formation  " ;  and  it  should  be  remem- 
bered that  "  complexes "  may  be  either  good  and  healthy,  or 
bad  and  diseased.  The  latter  leading  to  worry,  obsessions,  and 
even  fixed  delusions. 

8.  Illustrations  of  good  complexes  are  the  exceedingly  intri- 
cate combined  mental  and  muscular  movements  involved  in 
writing  and  piano-playing;  while  a  common  illustration  of  un- 
healthy complexes  is  the  fatigue,  dizziness,  and  palpitation  of 
the  heart,  so  commonly  associated  with  neurasthenia. 

9.  It  is  possible  for  a  group  or  a  number  of  groups  of  ideas 
to  become  dissociated  in  the  mind,  producing  the  common  phe- 
nomenon of  absent-mindedness;  or,  carried  out  on  a  grand 
scale,  that  extraordinary  and  unusual  phenomenon,  multiple 
personality.  Forgetfulness  on  the  one  hand  and  hysteria  on 
the  other,  are  also  practical  demonstrations  of  transient  dis- 
sociation. 

10.  In  the  mental  realm  we  may  have  psychic  insurrection  or 
automatism  —  a  group  of  ideas  assuming  an  existence  independ- 
ent of  the  psychic  life  as  a  whole  —  tyrannizing  over  the  mind 
with  obsessions,  and  dominating  the  body  by  fixed  and  un- 
controllable habits. 

11.  Every  thought,  every  idea,  is  attached  to  what  psycholo- 
gists call  a  "  feeling  tone " ;  that  is,  a  given  idea  is  always 


MODERN  PSYCHOTHERAPY  425 

accompanied  by  a  certain  feeling  or  emotion.  These  emotions 
may  become  disproportionate,  misadapted,  and  so  overdevel- 
oped as  to  result  in  neurasthenia,  hysteria,  and  even  insanity. 

12.  The  process  of  emotion-training  is  one  of  the  great  and 
promising  fields  in  modern  psychotherapy.  Herein  lies  the 
almost  unlimited  power  of  religious  emotion-suggestion. 

13.  Psycho-analysis  is  the  process  of  locating  the  exact 
mental  cause  of  psychic  disturbances;  it  is  precise  mental  diag- 
nosis, and  further  embraces  the  therapeutic  methods  of 
subjugating  independent  and  troublesome  ideas  —  the  digestion 
and  assimilation  of  rebellious  and  unabsorbed  complexes.  Its 
object  is  to  facilitate  the  ultimate  elimination  of  these  mental 
mischief-makers. 

14.  An  unacceptable  or  unacknowledged  group  of  ideas  in 
the  mind  sustains  the  same  relation  to  the  mentality  that  a 
foreign  body  does  to  the  physical  organism.  Such  disturbing 
ideas  are  seldom  overcome  by  mere  resistance.  They  are 
usually  mastered  by  the  methods  of  mental  assimilation,  after 
psycho-analysis. 

15.  Psycho-analysis  and  reeducation  are  not  founded  directly 
on  the  principle  of  suggestive  therapeutics;  they  are  purely 
educational.  They  are  distinct  and  separate  phases  of  psy- 
chotherapy. 

16.  The  power  of  suggestion  and  the  principle  of  reeducation 
constitute  the  fundamental  laws  underlying  all  the  various  suc- 
cessful methods  of  treating  mental  disturbances,  as  well  as  the 
psychic  treatment  of  functional  physical  disorders. 

17.  The  fatigue  accompanying  neurasthenia  and  following 
nervous  shock,  is  neither  a  true  psychic  nor  a  real  physical 
weariness;  it  is  a  psycho-pathological  fatigue,  a  fatigue  out  of 
all  proportion  to  preceding  mental  and  physical  exertion,  and 
is  properly  and  successfully  treated  by  suggestion  and  re- 
education. 

18.  Probably  the  best  method  of  treating  the  fatigue  states 
of  the  neurasthenic  is  the  direct  conversational  method  of  can- 
didly laying  all  the  facts  before  the  patient;  depending  upon 
suitable  physical  treatment,  suggestion,  persuasion,  and  moral 
therapeutics,  to  effect  a  cure. 


426       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

19.  But  little  place  is  assigned  to  hypnotism  in  modern  psy- 
chotherapy. Its  chief  value  is  as  a  means  of  diagnosis  in 
certain  obscure  psychic  disorders.  Hypnotism  cannot  be  em- 
ployed as  a  means  of  inducing  innocent  persons  to  commit 
crime  or  other  immoral  acts. 

20.  While  some  cases  of  nervousness  and  neurasthenia  are 
greatly  helped  by  the  rest-cure,  a  larger  number  are  benefited 
by  the  work-cure,  and  still  others  are  greatly  improved  by 
systematic  nature  study. 

21.  One  of  the  most  powerful  factors  in  psychotherapy  is 
religious  emotion  —  moral  therapeutics.  Religious  emotions 
exercise  a  maximum  influence  on  the  average  mind.  Music 
exerts  a  varying  influence  on  different  individuals.  Some  tunes 
are  quite  generally  stimulating,  while  others  are  usually 
depressing. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI 

THE  SCIENCE  OF  SUGGESTION 

The  psychology  of  suggestion. —  The  universality  of 
suggestion. —  suggestion  in  relation  to  health  and 
strength. —  suggestion  in  the  treatment  of  pain. — 
Nervous  disorders  and  suggestion. —  Suggestion  and 
SLEEP. —  Suggestion  and  the  special  senses. —  Suggestion 
in  obscure  diseases. —  methods  of  non-drug  healing. — 
Summary  of  the  chapter. 

BY  suggestion,  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  operator,  is 
meant  the  systematic  use  of  any  means  which  will  bring 
about  the  arousal  of  an  idea  or  any  other  process  or  state  in 
the  mind  of  a  subject  or  patient.  The  spoken  word  is  usually 
the  means  that  is  employed,  though  any  other  means  whatever 
by  which  any  sense  organ  can  be  stimulated  may  be  used.  The 
immediate  purpose  of  the  suggestion  is,  of  course,  to  awaken 
the  desired  mental  activity ;  to  impress,  influence,  strengthen,  or 
modify  the  mental  state  of  the  patient.  But  the  operator  is  in- 
variably interested,  finally,  in  the  expression  of  the  mental 
activity  either  in  overt  conduct  or  in  some  internal  physiological 
changes,  or  both.  The  suggestion  may  be  direct,  as  when  one 
commands  another  to  close  a  door,  for  instance;  or  indirect,  as 
when  one  says,  '  The  room  is  chilly  on  account  of  the  open 
door,'  in  order  to  occasion  in  the  mind  of  the  person  addressed 
the  judgment,  *  The  door  must  be  closed,'  and  to  bring  about 
the  expression  of  that  judgment  in  the  act  of  closing  the  door. 
Children  are  the  most  teachable,  the  most  suggestible  of  all 
people,  for  the  simple  reason  that  they  are  unsophisticated;  it 
is  easy  for  them  to  exercise  faith.  Where  faith  abounds  the 
science  of  suggestion  is  productive  of  far-reaching  results. 
At  the  holy  shrines  of  Europe  and  at  the  great  gatherings  of  the 

427 


428       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

healing  cults,  in  every  country  and  through  every  creed,  faith 
and  suggestion  have  wrought  their  marvellous  and  ofttimes 
apparently  miraculous  cures. 

THE  PSYCHOLOGY  OF  SUGGESTION 

When  an  idea  becomes  uppermost  in  the  human  intellect, 
when  a  certain  notion  becomes  set  in  the  mind,  there  are  only 
two  ways  of  removing  it.  One  is  by  suggestion,  and  the  other 
is  by  the  development  of  the  opposite  ideas  by  a  process  of 
reeducation.  Suggestion  becomes  then  one  of  the  greatest 
known  methods  for  changing,  improving,  cleansing,  and 
strengthening  the  human  mind.  People  sometimes  get  the 
notion  that  they  are  going  to  die,  and  it  is  almost  impossible  to 
remove  this  idea  from  the  mind.  Not  long  ago,  while  the 
author  was  waiting  for  a  train  in  a  Southern  city,  he  chanced 
to  visit  a  large  tombstone  factory.  While  there  he  observed  an 
old  gentleman  drive  up,  come  into  the  office,  and  proceed  to 
order  his  tombstone.  He  gave  his  name  and  other  data  for 
the  stone;  stated  that  he  was  born  in  1841  and  died  in  1910 
(this  was  in  the  month  of  August,  1910).  Here  the  clerk  inter- 
rupted him  saying,  "  You  are  not  yet  dead,  sir,  and  thi"s  is 
already  the  last  half  of  1910."  Whereupon  the  old  gentleman  in 
a  most  emphatic  and  decisive  manner  replied,  "  No,  young  man, 
of  course  I  am  not  dead,  but  I  will  be  dead  before  this  year  is 
over";  and  the  probabilities  are  that  he  did  die  during  1910. 
When  a  man  is  thoroughly  possessed  with  the  idea  that  he  is 
going  to  die,  we  doubt  if  there  can  be  found  any  power  that 
can  long  keep  him  alive. 

The  marginal  consciousness,  by  which  I  mean  the  conscious- 
ness of  all  ideas  and  emotions  that  are  not  at  a  given  moment  in 
the  centre  of  the  field  of  attention,  while  it  is  normally  a  benefi- 
cent servant,  may,  nevertheless,  in  a  sense,  tyrannize  in  our 
lives.  This  marginal  consciousness  is  described  by  many  as  the 
*  subconscious  mind.'  Normally,  I  say,  it  is  a  beneficent  servant, 
because  in  the  marginal  or  dim  consciousness  are  conserved  all 
those  ideas  and  other  mental  complexes  which  are  not  required  to 
meet  our  present  needs.  They  are  conserved  in  such  a  system- 
atic order  that  when,  in  the  course  of  suggestion,  any  mental 
process  comes  into  attention  it  brings  out  from  the  dim  marginal 


THE  SCIENCE  OF  SUGGESTION  429 

area  its  appropriate  supplement;  and  it  is  when  this  supple- 
mentary image  discharges  into  activity  that  the  course  of  sugges- 
tion becomes  complete.  This  marginal  consciousness  is  a  tyrant 
when  its  contents  over-freely  and  without  system  attach  them- 
selves to  the  contents  of  clear  consciousness,  and  so  disturb 
the  balance  of  the  mind  and  render  unreliable  the  course  of  our 
judgments.  Continuously,  even  without  our  apprehension,  this 
marginal  consciousness  influences  the  character  and  the  ebb  of 
processes  in  our  vivid  consciousness.  It  is  not  something  differ- 
ent and  apart  from  our  usual  conscious  life,  but  an  integral  part 
of  it. 

Thus  the  marginal  consciousness,  commonly  called  the  sub- 
conscious mind,  becomes  an  excellent  servant  to  the  mind  of 
man  when  it  is  properly  trained;  but  it  becomes  a  tyrannical 
master  when  it  is  left  to  do  as  it  pleases.  The  marginal  con- 
sciousness is  that  great  force  of  the  mind  which  receives  the 
suggestions  of  health  and  disease,  of  happiness  and  despair,  and 
in  turn  is  able  to  energize  or  weaken  the  body,  in  accordance 
with  the  suggestions  it  habitually  receives.  Sometimes  a  patient 
can  be  waked  up  by  a  direct  suggestion-challenge.  For  example, 
you  tell  him  you  doubt  his  ability  to  stop  worrying  or  to  control 
his  mind,  and  not  infrequently  this  challenge  is  sufficient  to 
arouse  him  to  that  point  where  he  will  arise  and  take  command 
of  his  thoughts. 

The  art  of  scientific  suggestion  consists  in  placing  an  idea  in 
the  mind  in  such  a  way  and  under  such  circumstances  that  it 
shall  become  dominant ;  that  is,  so  that  the  mind  is  caused  to  be 
possessed  by  that  one  idea.  This  dominant  idea  plays  the  role 
of  a  liberator  —  it  breaks  up  harmful  associations  of  ideas,  and 
so  creates  an  opportunity  for  the  establishment  of  new  and 
healthy  groups  of  ideas.  It  brings  about  a  dissociation  between 
certain  powerful  ideas  and  physical  actions,  and  often  dissolves 
those  physio-mental  associations  which  are  responsible  for  ob- 
sessions and  bad  habits. 

THE  UNIVERSALITY  OF  SUGGESTION 

In  the  author's  opinion,  the  science  of  suggestion  is  best  car- 
ried out  by  making  these  suitable  impressions  upon  the  mind 
during  the  waking  state.     This  is  the  normal  state  in  which 


430      THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

reformative  ideas  must  take  root  and  be  developed.  Hypnotism 
is  an  unnatural  and  unnecessary  process  of  carrying  on  this 
work.  Of  course,  this  same  method  of  suggestion  has  been 
used  in  all  medical  and  religious  work  from  time  immemorial; 
but  in  modern  psychotherapy  an  effort  has  been  made  to  reduce 
this  mode  of  teaching  to  a  system  of  scientific  healing. 

What  is  it,  when  a  child  has  fallen  down  and  bumped  his  head, 
that  causes  him  to  run  to  mother  and  beg  to  have  it  kissed? 
Mother  promptly  kisses  the  head,  saying,  "  Now,  never  mind,  it 
is  well."  The  child  acts  on  the  suggestion,  tears  are  stopped, 
and  the  smiles  return;  and  soon  he  is  back  to  his  play  as  if  noth- 
ing had  happened.  And  so  minister,  lawyer,  doctor,  and  sales- 
man, if  they  are  successful,  all  use  this  very  principle  in  the 
carrying  on  of  their  business.  Many  of  the  great  false  reviv- 
als are  apparently  built  upon  this  psychology  of  suggestion. 
This  power  of  successfully  persuading  one's  fellows  to  accept  an 
idea,  has  in  the  past  often  been  attributed  to  personal  magnetism. 

The  author  insists  upon  the  importance  of  making  all  sugges- 
tions true.  In  our  dealings  with  the  sick  we  should  make  only 
those  suggestions  which  are  based  upon  good  physiological  and 
psychological  law ;  thus  the  work  can  be  built  upon  a  sure  foun- 
dation; it  can  then  be  carried  forward  with  confidence  and 
sincerity. 

No  more  powerful  testimony  to  the  value  of  suggestion  can  be 
found  than  the  very  fact  that  there  exist  to-day  scores  of  dif- 
ferent methods  of  treating  disease,  some  diametrically  opposite, 
all  of  which  are  more  or  less  successful.  Various  schools  of 
medicine  and  the  numerous  therapeutic  specialists  are  all  more 
or  less  successful  in  treating  and  apparently  curing  disease. 
John  Alexander  Dowie  comes  along  teaching  the  existence  of  a 
physical  body  afflicted  with  disease  because  the  devil  controls  it. 
He  also  taught  that  God  heals  disease  in  answer  to  prayer,  thus 
destroying  the  devil's  power.  Dowie  cured  thousands.  Mrs. 
Eddy  and  Christian  Science  teach  that  there  is  no  physical  body, 
no  sickness ;  that  these  things  exist  only  in  the  mind ;  and  like- 
wise they  are  able  to  cure  other  thousands.  Both  of  these 
teachings  cannot  be  true,  yet  both  can  cure  disease.  It  is  sim- 
ply a  problem  in  suggestive  therapeutics,  and  the  element  of  cure 


FIG. 55.  suggestive:  panic. 


THE  SCIENCE  OF  SUGGESTION  431 

is  not  the  correctness  of  either  their  physiological  or  their  the- 
ological teaching,  but  rather  the  intensity  and  sincerity  of  the 
faith  which  the  sick  one  exercises  respecting  the  idea  upon  which 
he  depends  for  healing. 

Suggestion  is,  figuratively,  a  form  of  mental  contagion;  in 
fact,  it  becomes  epidemic  in  the  presence  of  large  numbers. 
This  is  splendidly  shown  by  the  following  observation  which 
some  one  has  suggested :  It  is  thirty  minutes  before  train-time. 
The  travelling  men  are  sitting  about  the  hotel,  the  'bus  and  its 
driver  are  waiting  in  front,  numerous  passengers  are  walking 
leisurely  on  their  way  to  the  station,  when  a  certain  travelling 
man,  desiring  to  play  a  joke  on  the  public,  suddenly  looks  at 
his  watch,  quickly  grabs  his  hat,  coat,  and  grip,  and  starts  on  the 
run  for  the  station.  The  'bus  driver  catches  the  spirit  and 
shouts,  "  All  aboard  " ;  and  this  is  followed  by  a  rush  of  the  other 
travelling  men  for  the  'bus,  and  the  driver  begins  to  lash  his 
horses.  On  the  way  to  the  station,  fat  women  with  babies,  and 
lean  women  without  babies,  catch  the  spirit  of  panic :  there  is 
one  grand  rush  all  along  the  line  to  get  to  the  station  as  soon  as 
possible,  and  everybody  arrives  fifteen  minutes  before  the  train 
is  due.  It  is  simply  the  panic  of  suggestion  —  the  psychology 
of  the  crowd.     (See  Fig.  35.) 

The  author  has  experimentally  demonstrated  that  the  healing 
power  of  electric  belts  and  similar  means  of  treatment  is  purely 
suggestive.  In  the  use  of  therapeutic  magnets,  wooden  magnets 
are  often  found  to  accomplish  just  as  much  for  the  relief  of  the 
patient  as  the  real  ones. 

People  become  possessed  by  some  foolish  notion  and  it  becomes 
a  habit,  a  religion,  or  a  mania.  Some  lunatics  in  the  asylum 
spend  their  time  collecting  pebbles  and  gathering  twigs,  even 
to  the  extent  of  wagon  loads;  on  the  other  hand,  many  unbal- 
anced business  men  spend  their  entire  lives  collecting  dollars; 
and  while  they  escape  the  asylum,  they  are  none  the  less 
abnormal  and  unhealthy  in  mind  —  they  are  slaves  to  money- 
making. 

Some  people  keep  their  minds  so  constantly  on  the  disease 
they  have,  that  they  not  infrequently  know  more  about  it  than 
the  doctor.     They  become  like  the  old  neurasthenic  who  remon- 


432       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

strated  with  his  young  physician,  saying,  "  You  are  but  a  young 
doctor;  I  am  an  old  invalid.  I  know  more  about  my  disease 
than  you  do  " ;  or  like  the  locomotor  ataxia  patient  in  the  hos- 
pital, who,  when  the  interne  of  his  ward  was  changed  at  the 
first  of  the  year,  and  he  found  himself  being  examined  by  a  new 
doctor,  said,  "  You  need  n't  bother  about  me,  I  can  tell  you  all 
what 's  the  matter  of  me  " ;  whereupon  the  new  doctor  inquired, 
"  Well,  sir,  what  is  the  matter  with  you  ?  "  To  this  question  the 
self-confident  patient  replied,  "  I  have  got  locomotive  attach- 
ments "  —  meaning,  of  course,  that  he  had  locomotor  ataxia. 

Young  children  are  very  suggestible,  both  when  awake  and 
when  partially  asleep.  You  can  speak  to  the  sleeping  child, 
it  will  respond  and  obey,  and  the  following  morning  be  wholly 
unconscious  of  what  has  taken  place. 

We  should  remember  that  there  probably  exists  far  more 
energy  in  brain  and  body  than  we  ever  use.  We  have  two  lungs, 
two  eyes,  two  kidneys,  etc.,  either  one  of  which  is  capable  of 
doing  the  work  of  both.  In  the  marginal  consciousness  of  the 
mind  we  have  vast  realms  of  psychic  energy  which  are  ordina- 
rily not  in  use.  And  it  is  by  means  of  suggestion  that  this  vast 
source  of  energy  can  be  tapped  and  made  available  in  the  work  of 
the  daily  life  of  every  man.  It  should  further  be  remembered 
that  there  is  no  sensation  or  emotion  commonly  excited  by  influ- 
ences from  without,  which  cannot  also  be  set  in  action  by  the 
nerve  centres  within  the  body,  and  then  be  so  referred  outward 
over  the  nerves  that  it  will  really  seem  that  these  sensations 
actually  were  originated  by  outside  or  external  stimulation.  On 
the  other  hand,  an  intense  physical  impression  may  be  vaguely 
apprehended,  while  the  reception  and  interpretation  of  a  weak 
sensory  impression  may  be  exceedingly  vivid  and  exhaustive. 

SUGGESTION  IN  RELATION  TO  HEALTH  AND  STRENGTH 

Every  case  of  physical  disease  which  has  been  improved  by  a 
change  in  the  mental  state,  as  cited  in  Part  II  of  this  text,  is  a 
direct  illustration  of  the  powerful  influence  of  suggestion  in 
influencing  the  various  functions  of  the  body.  The  most  seri- 
ous functional  disorders  are  sometimes  immediately  relieved 
by  suggestion.  The  regulation  of  digestion,  secretion,  and 
even  of  the  temperature  of  the  body,  are  all  more  or  less,  as  we 


THE  SCIENCE  OF  SUGGESTION  433 

have  previously  shown,  under  the  influence  and  control  of  the 
mind. 

The  influence  of  the  mind  over  the  temperature  sense  is  illus- 
trated in  the  case  of  the  chilly  patient  whose  friends  were  told 
by  the  doctor  to  "  surround  her  with  hot-water  bottles."  The 
patient  was  immediately  relieved,  but  the  next  day  on  calling  at 
the  house,  the  doctor  discovered  that  his  prescription  to  **  sur- 
round the  patient  with  hot-water  bottles  "  had  been  carried  out 
by  filling  with  hot  water  a  score  of  empty  bottles  and  glass 
fruit- jars,  and  putting  them  around  the  patient's  bed  on  the  floor. 

Professor  Mosso  is  very  positive  in  his  belief  that  fear  is  ca- 
pable of  so  disarranging  the  circulation  as  to  permit  or  favor 
the  production  of  inflammation,  fever,  and  other  circulatory 
disturbances  of  the  body,  which  predispose  the  patient  to  attacks 
of  various  diseases,  even  those  caused  by  microbes. 

A  Southern  physician  has  reported  an  interesting  case  showing 
the  power  of  fright  profoundly  to  prostrate  the  individual.  The 
case  was  that  of  a  big  burly  negro,  who  supposed  he  had  been 
shot  —  fatally  shot.  Fear  had  seized  him  with  tremendous 
power;  he  shook  like  an  aspen  leaf;  he  bordered  on  a  state  of 
collapse,  and  death  seemed  imminent.  Not  finding  any  blood, 
the  examining  physician  ordered  all  his  clothes  removed,  and 
while  he  was  being  undressed,  a  flattened  bullet  fell  upon  the 
floor.  The  doctor  exhibited  the  bullet  to  the  frightened  patient, 
explaining  that  he  had  had  a  miraculous  escape ;  whereupon  his 
circulation  was  immediately  restored ;  his  countenance  improved ; 
temperature  became  normal ;  and  the  look  of  life  returned  to  the 
eyes,  which  had  been  almost  fixed  with  the  gaze  of  death,  while 
a  broad  grin  crept  over  his  face.  The  negro  got  down  from  the 
operating  table  and  dressed;  apologized  for  the  fuss  he  had 
caused,  and  walked  home. 

A  simple  illustration  of  the  power  of  the  nerves  apparently 
to  strengthen  or  weaken  the  body  is  shown  in  the  common  ex- 
perience of  eating.  While  it  requires  food  several  hours  ordi- 
narily to  pass  from  the  stomach  into  the  intestines,  where  it  is 
absorbed  into  the  blood  and  subsequently  assimilated  by  the 
body  cells;  nevertheless,  in  just  a  few  minutes  after  food  has 
been  received  into  the  stomach,  the  eater  usually  feels  greatly 


434       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

strengthened  and  ready  for  work.  This  feeling  of  physical 
strength  immediately  following  the  meal  must  be  attributed 
largely  to  nervous  impressions  of  strength  which  the  nerve 
centres  are  able  to  transmit  to  the  body. 

It  is  an  old  and  true  observation  that  care-free  travellers 
and  happy  bridal  couples  are  quite  immune  to  disease  and  death. 

SUGGESTION    IN    THE   TREATMENT    OF    PAIN 

A  physician  —  a  prominent  medical  teacher  —  recently  told 
the  author  of  his  personal  experience  with  a  nervous  headache. 
He  had  been  bothered  with  headaches  since  his  youth. 
While  a  medical  student,  one  of  his  teachers  advised  him  to 
take  antipyrin  —  that  it  was  a  certain  cure.  He  took  antipyrin 
and  it  cured  him  almost  instantly.  As  years  went  by  and  his 
experience  ripened,  he  observed  that  apparently  even  the  taste 
of  antipyrin  was  able  to  cure  his  headache;  that  as  soon  as  he 
would  place  a  tablet  in  his  mouth,  his  pain  would  disappear.  It 
suggested  itself  to  his  mind  that  perhaps  his  headaches  might  be 
caused  by  a  nervous  habit,  and  he  decided  to  discontinue  both 
the  headaches  and  the  antipyrin,  and  he  was  successful  in  both. 
A  year  had  gone  by  at  the  time  of  this  conversation,  and  no 
headache  had  made  its  appearance.  Thus  it  appears  that  not 
only  the  unlearned  and  unscientific  are  victims  of  the  pranks 
of  mind  and  the  whims  of  nerves,  but  the  skilful  and  learned 
suffer  as  well.  No  class  of  society  can  pride  itself  on  being 
free  from  the  influence  of  these  mental  mischief-makers. 

Major  General  O.  O.  Howard  recently  related  an  incident 
from  his  own  life  which  illustrates  the  possibility  of  forgetting 
pain  by  means  of  mental  diversion.  He  lost  an  arm  during 
the  Civil  War,  and  in  the  process  of  recovery  some  of  the  nerve- 
ends  were  not  properly  cared  for,  so  that  ever  since  the  wound 
healed,  the  General  has  not  been  free  from  a  sensation  of  pain, 
whenever  his  mind  reverts  to  it,  and  yet  he  is  able  at  any 
time  to  forget  it  by  diverting  his  thoughts  or  distracting  his 
attention. 

The  heroism  and  endurance  of  mothers  during  child-birth  is 
well-known,  but  there  is  a  great  difference  between  the  suffering 
and  discomfort  attending  the  process  in  different  cases,  which 
is  no  doubt  largely  due  to  the  mental  attitude  of  the  mother 
toward  the  new  arrival. 


THE  SCIENCE  OF  SUGGESTION  435 

The  following  incident  is  taken  from  the  Memoirs  of  General 
Grant:  The  night  before  General  Lee's  surrender,  General 
Grant  was  suffering  so  acutely  from  a  headache  that  he  could 
not  sleep.  It  was  a  splitting  headache ;  and  no  wonder,  with  the 
gallant  Lee  to  contend  with.  He  spent  the  night  vainly  trying 
to  alleviate  the  pain;  "but,"  he  says,  "the  instant  I  saw  the 
contents  of  the  note  of  surrender,  I  was  cured." 

A  concrete  illustration  of  what  psycho-prophylaxis  can  do  is 
afforded  by  a  recent  medical  communication,  which  shows  that 
fifteen  per  cent  of  attacks  of  migraine  are  preceded  for  several 
days  by  psychic  symptoms  either  of  an  excitable  or  a  depressant 
type. 

The  reputation  of  a  certain  liniment  was  so  great  that  the 
British  Government  bought  the  recipe  for  a  large  amount  of 
money,  intending  to  give  it  to  the  public,  so  that  all  chronic 
rheumatic  sufferers  might  be  cured.  It  was  subsequently  an- 
alyzed and  found  to  consist  of  turpentine  and  the  white  of  an 
egg.  The  liniment's  efBcacy  was  destroyed.  This  would  be 
true  also  of  many  modern  medicines  and  prescriptions,  if  the 
real  ingredients  were  known. 

Sometime  ago  there  came  one  morning  into  the  author's  clinic 
a  large  negro  wearing  an  anxious  expression,  limping  painfully, 
and  holding  his  hand  low  down  on  the  left  side  of  his  abdomen. 
As  he  entered  the  room  he  began  talking :  "  Yas,  sah,  I  done 
got  it;  they  done  fixed  mah  brother,  and  now  I  got  it."  Upon 
being  asked  what  he  had,  he  replied :  "  Certainly,  I  got  the 
'pendigitis.  I  had  an  awful  pain  ever  since  last  night  after 
supper.  I  sho'  got  it."  After  being  carefully  examined  and 
having  his  constipated  bowels  washed  out  with  a  copious  enema, 
the  pain  entirely  disappeared ;  and  on  being  assured  that  he  did 
not  have  appendicitis,  that  appendicitis  usually  comes  on  the 
right  side  and  not  on  the  left,  where  he  complained  of  his  pain, 
he  climbed  down  off  the  examining  table,  arranged  his  clothes, 
and  walked  out,  saying,  "  Mah  Lordy,  what  a  fright  I  had !  " 

NERVOUS  DISORDERS  AND  SUGGESTION 

The  author  has  seen  some  remarkable  cures  of  discouraged 
and  despondent  patients  who  imagined  themselves  the  victims 
of  many  and  varied  diseases,  by  merely  having  their  energies 


436       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

enlisted  in  some  simple  altruistic  work  —  carrying  food  to  some 
poor  family,  or  engaging  in  other  simple  works  of  mercy.  By 
this  their  minds  were  so  taken  off  themselves  that  they  rapidly 
recovered  their  normal  strength  and  vigor. 

Many  imaginary  sufferers  are  completely  wrapped  up  in  them- 
selves, they  think  of  their  own  comfort  only.  They  constantly 
brood  over  their  many  supposed  afflictions,  and  they  can  never 
be  cured  until,  by  the  grace  of  God,  they  are  delivered  from 
self-service,  and  become  enlisted  body,  soul,  and  spirit  in  the 
glorious  ministry  of  disinterested  service  for  the  race. 

Several  years  ago  the  author  had  a  patient,  a  broker  by 
profession,  who  gradually  became  despondent.  He  became  pos- 
sessed by  the  fixed  fear  that  he  would  some  day  die  in  the  poor 
house ;  he  seemed  rapidly  going  into  melancholia.  All  the  med- 
icine, baths,  and  other  treatment  seemed  to  help  him  but  little. 
At  last  we  arranged  with  his  wife  to  try  a  plan  of  getting  him 
interested  in  some  one  else.  The  author,  through  one  of  his 
nurses,  selected  a  family  in  the  stockyards  district  in  Chicago, 
a  deserted  mother  with  five  children,  the  youngest  ten  months, 
the  oldest  ten  years.  It  was  arranged  that  the  patient  was  to 
come  to  our  office  just  as  we  were  leaving,  one  afternoon,  and 
we  would  request  him  to  go  out  to  see  this  family,  as  one  of  the 
children  was  very  sick.  After  remaining  in  the  house  but  a 
few  minutes,  we  came  out  to  the  automobile  and  asked  him  if 
he  wouldn't  like  to  come  in  and  see  the  poverty  and  suffering 
that  could  exist  in  a  great  city  abounding  in  churches  and 
luxury.  He  readily  consented,  and  as  we  began  to  give  the 
history  of  the  case,  exhibiting  the  barefooted  children  —  one 
little  fellow  so  devoid  of  clothing  that  his  picture  could  not  be 
exhibited  in  public  —  a  new  expression  crept  over  this  patient's 
face.  After  I  had  left  written  directions  regarding  the  treat- 
ment for  the  visiting  nurse,  he  took  me  by  the  arm  and  asked 
the  way  to  the  nearest  grocery  store. 

To  make  a  long  story  short,  he  purchased  twenty-five  dollars' 
worth  of  groceries,  coal,  and  other  necessaries  of  life  for  this 
needy  family.  He  returned  with  his  wife  the  following  morning 
and  saw  that  the  children  were  all  well  clothed.  He  called  mc 
up  by  telephone  and  asked  if  a  trained  nurse  could  be  of  service. 


THE  SCIENCE  OF  SUGGESTION  437 

and  volunteered  to  pay  for  a  nurse  for  two  weeks,  or  until  the 
sick  child  should  fully  recover.  And  what  was  the  result  of  all 
this?  He  became  a  Good  Samaritan;  he  sought  out  other 
families;  and  instead  of  expending  thousands  of  dollars  for 
doctor  bills,  he  was  soon  out  from  under  the  care  of  all  phy- 
sicians, while  spending  his  money  in  helping  his  fellows.  In  six 
months  he  became  a  new  man ;  he  was  back  at  his  desk,  and  we 
did  not  know  until  months  later  that  he  was  aware  that  a 
therapeutic  trick  had  been  played  upon  him,  if  trick  it  may  be 
called.  Some  time  after  he  called  us  up  over  the  telephone, 
saying,  "I  am  sending  you  a  patient,  Mr.  — ;  he  has  the 
same  mental  disease  coming  on  him  that  I  used  to  have.  You 
look  him  over  and  see  if  there  is  anything  wrong  with  his  body ; 
leave  this  job  of  fixing  up  his  mind  to  me.  I  will  have  Jim, 
that 's  my  chauffeur,  take  him  down  into  the  stockyards  district. 
I  have  another  family  down  there  that  needs  help  badly.  I  have 
tried  your  scheme  on  two  or  three  different  self-centred  fellows, 
and  it  never  fails  to  work.  You  know,  a  lot  of  these  fellows 
are  going  crazy  over  getting  a  few  more  dollars;  he  is  one  of 
them,  all  right,  but  just  as  soon  as  you  give  me  the  word,  I'll  put 
him  through ;  and  I  will  guarantee  that  turning  Good  Samaritan 
will  cure  any  poor  devil  who  is  headed  for  the  lunatic  asylum. 
What  about  me?  Don't  you  worry  about  me;  once  is  enough 
of  that  kind  of  trouble  for  me;  I  will  keep  my  trolley  on  the 
right  wire,  and  you  can  be  sure  of  it." 

Numerous  fake  operations  have  been  performed  upon  nervous 
patients  in  an  effort  to  cure  them  of  their  imaginary  troubles. 
One  woman  was  sure  she  had  a  live  lizard  in  her  stomach ;  and 
not  until  she  was  taken  to  the  operating  room,  a  slight  cut  made 
on  her  abdomen,  a  few  stitches  taken,  removed  to  her  room  and 
shown  a  lizard  in  a  bottle,  did  she  get  over  the  notion  she  had 
a  lizard  in  her  stomach.  It  had  been  repeatedly  explained  to 
her  that  animals  could  not  live  in  the  stomach  —  that  the  gastric 
juice  would  eat  them  up  alive,  but  no  scientific  explanation  would 
satisfy  her.  Again,  a  nervous  woman  was  so  thoroughly  con- 
vinced that  she  had  a  foreign  substance  in  her  arm  that  a  sham 
operation  was  performed  on  her,  and  afterwards  she  was  shown 
a  piece  of  beef  gristle,  which  set  her  mind  completely  at  rest. 


438      THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

SUGGESTION   AND  SLEEP 

To  illMstrate  what  a  prominent  factor  suggestion  is  in  the 
treatment  of  insomnia,  the  following  case  may  be  cited:  The 
patient,  a  nervous  woman  thirty  years  of  age,  had  been  long 
troubled  with  insomnia,  but  had  at  last  been  greatly  helped  by 
daily  treatment  with  high  frequency  electricity.  After  several 
weeks  of  this  treatment  a  "  doctored  "  wire  was  substituted  for 
one  of  the  connections  —  an  electric  cord,  which,  although  it 
looked  perfect  to  the  eye,  had  some  six  inches  of  the  inner 
wire  removed.  The  method  of  procedure  in  this  case  was  to 
begin  the  treatment  with  a  real  wire,  and  demonstrate,  by  means 
of  the  vacuum  tube  placed  on  the  forehead,  that  the  patient  was 
really  getting  the  electric  current,  then,  before  leaving  the 
patient  to  rest  on  a  couch  while  receiving  the  current,  a  switch 
was  turned  and  the  current  was  diverted  from  the  real  circuit 
to  the  false.  The  patient  would  lie  there  very  quietly  for 
twelve  minutes,  supposing  she  was  receiving  high  frequency 
electrical  treatment  (this  particular  mode  of  treatment  produces 
no  sensations  in  the  bodies  of  patients  unless  some  one 
touches  them  during  the  treatment),  while,  in  reality,  she  was 
not  getting  a  particle  of  electricity.  It  is  interesting  to  record 
that  she  slept  just  as  well  after  this  procedure  as  she  did  when 
she  had  the  genuine  electric  treatment.  This  is  no  proof  that 
electricity  does  not  possess  power  favorably  to  influence  the 
body,  it  is  simply  another  proof  of  the  tremendous  power  of 
suggestion. 

SUGGESTION  AND  THE  SPECIAL  SENSES 

A  few  months  ago  the  author  tried  the  following  experiment 
on  an  audience  of  sonje  three  hundred  and  fifty  people.  At  the 
beginning  of  our  lecture  we  stated  that  we  desired  to  make 
some  tests  relating  to  the  purity  of  the  atmosphere  and  the 
individual  acuteness  of  the  sense  of  smell  on  the  part  of  the 
people  in  the  audience.  We  exhibited  a  small  bottle  containing 
a  clear  liquid,  and  said  that  after  we  had  sprinkled  it  on  the 
platform,  we  desired  each  individual  in  the  audience  to  raise 
the  right  hand  the  moment  he  discovered  an  odor  resembling 
that  of  steaming  vinegar.  We  suggested  that  those  on  the 
front  seats  would  naturally  detect  the  odor  first,  but  any  one 


THE  SCIENCE  OF  SUGGESTION  439 

having  an  acute  sense  of  smell,  even  if  seated  in  the  middle  or 
back  part  of  the  room,  might  discover  the  odor  first.  We 
discussed  this  matter  some  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes,  then 
emptied  our  liquid,  sprinkling  it  very  carefully  all  over  the 
rostrum.  We  then  plunged  into  our  lecture,  having  previously 
intimated  that  it  might  be  five  or  ten  minutes  before  the  odor 
would  be  sufficiently  diffused  throughout  the  atmosphere  to 
be  detected.  In  twelve  minutes  after  this,  the  first  hand  went 
up  on  the  front  row.  This  was  immediately  followed  by  a  num- 
ber of  hands  on  the  other  side  of  the  room.  Within  twenty 
minutes  twenty-two  hands  had  been  raised.  Within  twenty-five 
minutes  hands  had  been  raised  even  at  the  back  of  the  room. 
Within  thirty-five  minutes,  the  time  the  lecture  had  to  be 
concluded,  over  one  hundred  hands  had  been  raised;  and  then 
we  acknowledged  to  the  audience  that  what  we  had  poured  out 
over  the  rostrum  was  only  six  ounces  of  Lake  Michigan  water 
drawn  from  the  faucet  downstairs.  Even  this  did  not  satisfy 
some.  They  thought  it  was  a  part  of  the  experiment  —  that 
we  were  trying  to  fool  them  again  in  some  way.  A  score  of 
people  persisted  in  the  belief  that  they  had  smelled  odors  resem- 
bling those  arising  from  an  open  vessel  containing  steaming 
vinegar. 

All  nervous  people  are  so  influenced  by  systematic  sugges- 
tion, that  in  the  treatment  of  certain  patients  suffering  from 
paralysis  or  locomotor  ataxia,  we  employ  a  regular  and  grad- 
uated systematic  series  of  exercises,  known  in  medicine  as  a 
process  of  reeducating  the  nerves  and  retraining  the  muscles. 

SUGGESTION  IN  OBSCURE  DISEASES 

A  devout  woman  went  to  a  physician  to  consult  with  him 
about  her  illness.  He  suspected  that  she  had  an  incurable  mal- 
ady and  told  her  so.  She  turned  away  with  a  sigh.  "  Ah,"  she 
said,  "  if  I  only  had  some  of  the  water  of  Lourdes,  then  I 
should  be  cured."  It  so  happened  that  a  friend  had  brought 
the  doctor  a  bottle  of  genuine  Lourdes  Water,  that  he  might 
chemically  analyze  it  to  ascertain  its  medicinal  properties.  He 
told  her  that  he  had  some  of  that  water  and  promised  to  give 
her  some  of  it,  provided  she  would  first  try  a  more  potent 
remedy,  Aqua  Crotonis  —  ordinary  drinking  water  brought  to 


440        THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

the  city  through  the  Croton  Aqueduct.  She  expressed  doubt 
that  it  could  help  her  case.  The  doctor  now  gave  her  a  small 
bottle  of  the  real  Lourdes  Water,  but  labelled  it  Aqua  Crotonis. 
She  returned  to  his  office  in  a  few  days  no  better,  whereupon 
he  gave  her  a  little  vial  of  the  ordinary  drinking  water  and 
labelled  it  "  Water  of  Lourdes."  She  was  completely  and  per- 
manently cured. 

METHODS    OF    NON-DRUG    HEALING 

So-called  Christian  Science  is  but  one  of  numerous  methods 
of  non-drug  treatment  which  are  slowly  but  surely  making 
headway  among  the  people.  These  "  systems "  are  all  more 
or  less  of  an  aid  to  the  national  health,  in  that  the  majority 
of  them  serve  the  purpose  of  removing  numerous  "  brakes " 
which  handicap  and  constantly  interfere  with  the  health  and 
happiness  of  the  people.  The  majority  of  these  cults  enjoin 
abstinence  from  tobacco  and  alcohol ;  being  drugless  systems  of 
healing,  they  do  away  with  the  habit  of  taking  patent  medicines. 
Many  persons  keep  the  physical  and  psychic  "  brakes "  con- 
stantly set;  they  are  greatly  handicapped  by  their  wrong  habits 
of  living.  Their  methods  resemble  those  of  the  new  brakeman 
on  the  freight  train.  The  engineer  had  just  succeeded  in 
pulling  his  train  over  the  crest  of  a  steep  grade,  when  the 
brakeman  climbed  up  over  the  tender  into  the  cab.  The  en- 
gineer said :  "  Whew !  that  was  a  hard  pull.  I  was  afraid  I 
was  n't  going  to  make  it."  Imagine  his  surprise  when  the 
brakeman  replied :  "  Yes,  I  was  afraid  we  would  n't  make  it 
too,  so  on  the  way  up  I  set  the  brakes  so  we  would  n  't  run  back 
down-hill." 

We  recently  made  an  effort  to  find  out  about  how  many 
people  in  the  United  States  are  devoted  to  some  drugless  system 
of  healing.  We  are  satisfied  that  there  are  at  least  ten  million 
people  in  this  country  who  never  employ  regular  physicians; 
while  we  believe  that  the  numerous  psychic  and  non-drug  sys- 
tems of  healing  such  as  Suggestive  Therapeutics,  Mental  Sci- 
ence, Christian  Science,  Naturopathy,  Osteopathy,  Magnetic 
Healing,  Physical  Culture,  Chiropratic  and  Faith  Healing,  sup- 
port no  less  than  ten  thousand  professional  practitioners  and 
healers,  who  are  engaged  in  the  work  of  trying  to  heal   the 


THE  SCIENCE  OF  SUGGESTION  441 

sick.  Of  the  sixteen  million  families  in  the  United  States, 
there  are  probably  three  million  who  do  not  take  drugs  or 
employ  regular  physicians;  at  least  only  in  exceptional  cases, 
for  example,  fractures  and  other  surgical  emergencies. 

/  And  so  it  is  a  question  which  the  medical  profession  must 
take  seriously.  We  have  a  moral  responsibility  in  the  matter. 
The  doctor,  after  all,  is  the  man  who  has  the  greatest  knowl- 
edge, and,  therefore,  carries  the  greatest  moral  responsibility; 
we  cannot  dodge  it.  In  the  end  we  shall  have  to  face  it,  even 
as  in  the  case  of  the  man  in  the  story,  who,  after  dying,  walked 
up  the  golden  stairway  and  applied  to  St.  Peter  for  admission 
through  the  pearly  gates  to  glory;  whereupon  St.  Peter  in- 
formed him  that  his  name  was  not  on  the  list.  But  the  man 
protested  he  had  lived  a  sincere  life,  and  that  he  had  been  led 
to  believe  that  he  would  surely  go  to  heaven  when  he  died;  he 
requested  St.  Peter  to  look  over  the  list  again.  St.  Peter  care- 
fully went  over  the  list  again  and  said :  **  Why,  certainly, 
brother,  your  name  is  on  the  list.     Come  right  in ;  but  say,  you 

/  are  not  due  up  here  for  twenty  years!  Who  was  your 
/    doctor?" 

^'***'''''^'  SUMMARY  OF  THE  CHAPTER 

1.  Suggestion  is  the  systematic  and  scientific  employment  of 
various  methods  designed  to  bring  about  a  process  or  state  of 
mind  and  thereby  to  determine  the  physical  reaction. 

2.  There  are  only  two  ways  of  removing  a  set  idea  from  the 
mind  —  one  way,  by  suggestion;  the  other,  by  a  process  of  re- 
education—  the  persistent  cultivation  of  "opposite  ideas." 

3.  The  marginal  consciousness  (subconscious  mind)  is  our 
beneficent  servant  in  so  far  as  it  conserves  our  mental  processes 
when  they  are  not  in  the  focus  of  attention,  in  such  a  manner 
that  they  may  be  recalled  by  the  process  of  appropriate  sug- 
gestion. It  tyrannizes  over  us  whenever  its  contents  disarrange 
the  sequence  of  our  ideas  and  judgments. 

4.  The  art  of  suggestion  is  the  placing  of  good  ideas  in  the 
mind  so  that  they  shall  become  dominant  ideas,  psychic  libera- 
tors. In  this  way  helpful  groups  of  ideas  are  formed,  while 
harmful  groups  are  dissociated. 

5.  Suggestions  should  be  made  to  the  mind  during  the  wakr 


442        THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

ing  state.     Hypnotism  is  both  unnatural  and  unnecessary  to  the 
practice  of  suggestive  therapeutics. 

6.  Suggestion  has  been  consciously  or  unconsciously  prac- 
tised from  time  immemorial ;  it  is  one  of  the  secrets  of  success 
in  the  work  of  doctor,  preacher,  lawyer,  and  tradesman. 

7.  There  are  scores  of  different  methods  of  treating  disease 
—  all  more  or  less  successful,  notwithstanding  their  opposite 
and  contradictory  teachings.  The  chief  element  of  efficiency 
in  nearly  all  healing  procedures  is  simple  suggestion  —  faith. 

8.  Suggestion  is,  figuratively,  a  form  of  mental  contagion; 
in  fact,  it  often  becomes  epidemic  when  large  numbers  are 
involved.  A  fixed  idea  may  eventually  become  a  mania,  lead- 
ing to  such  foolishness  as  collecting  pebbles,  twigs,  or  —  dollars. 

9.  Both  mind  and  body  are  always  in  possession  of  vast  stores 
of  reserve  energy.  The  marginal  consciousness  is  in  control 
of  these  reserve  powers,  and  they  are  largely  available  through 
suggestion  and  concentration. 

10.  Fear  is  capable  of  so  disarranging  the  circulation  as  to 
permit  or  favor  the  production  of  inflammation,  fever,  and 
other  circulatory  disturbances. 

tii.  Many  chronic  and  periodical  headaches  are  "habit" 
pains,  and  can  be  readily  cured  by  systematic  suggestion.  Pain 
is  often  relieved  by  forgetting  it,  by  having  the  attention 
distracted. 
--  12.  Many  a  marvellous  remedy  has  had  its  power  destroyed 
by  the  discovery  that  it  consisted  of  some  simple  and  common- 
place ingredients.  Secrecy  is  essential  to  the  success  of  all 
false  and  ignorant  methods  of  practising  suggestion. 

13.  Many  imaginary  sufferers  are  completely  wrapped  up  m 
themselves;  they  constantly  brood  over  their  supposed  afflic- 
tions, and  they  can  never  be  cured  until  they  are  delivered  from 
this  self-service. 

14.  Suggestion  may  effectually  deceive  the  special  senses. 
Taste,  smell,  and  touch  are  by  no  means  infallible. 

15.  All  methods  of  non-drug  healing  are  on  the  increase  in 
this  country.  We  probably  have  ten  million  people  who  do 
not  take  drugs  or  employ  regular  doctors  —  this  is  equal  to 
about  three  million  families  out  of  sixteen  million. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII 

THE   RE-EDUCATION   OF   THE  WILL 

Organization    of   the    mind. —  Ideas   and   emotions. —  The 

CONTROL   OF   EMOTION. —  HoW    NEUROSES  ORIGINATE. —  MeTHOD 
of    PRACTISING    REEDUCATION. —  ThE    RANGE    OF    REEDUCATION. 

—  Reflection    and    action. —  Self-mastery. —  System    in 
thought  and  work. —  summary  of  the  chapter. 

IN  the  practice  of  psychotherapy,  reeducation  must  be  rec- 
ognized as  a  distinct  process  of  mental  training.  While  it 
may  include  the  valuable  and  powerful  elements  of  suggestion, 
it  is,  nevertheless,  dependent  for  its  success  upon  intelligent, 
methodical,  and  persistent  educational  processes ;  it  is  a  method 
of  reforming  the  patient's  habit  of  thought  respecting  himself, 
his  nervous  difficulties,  and  his  other  disorders. 

The  will-power  of  most  people  is  comparatively  weak ;  that  is, 
there  exists  a  tremendous  disproportion  between  the  high  de- 
gree of  modern  intellectual  culture  and  the  humiliating  weak- 
ness of  the  will  in  the  average  man.  Self-mastery  is  not  the 
crowning  virtue  of  the  age.  Self-control  is  the  crying  need 
of  the  hour*  Two  men  accidentally  bumped  into  each  other 
while  walking  along  a  busy  street.  One  of  them,  a  high-strung 
nervous  sort  of  fellow,  turned  around  and  began  to  abuse  his 
brother  with  all  sorts  of  cursing  and  swearing,  while  the  other 
stood  there  calmly  listening,  and  when  the  abuse  had  stopped, 
he  said :  "  Now,  brother,  you  have  told  me  all  about  what 
you  think  of  me,  but  I  have  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that 
you  do  not  know  what  I  think  of  you."  It  was  such  a  jolt  to 
the  nervous  fellow  that  he  shook  hands  and  apologized  for  his 
lack  of  self-control. 

443 


444       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

ORGANIZATION    OF    THE    MIND 

It  will  be  well  in  this  connection  to  call  attention  to  the  plan 
upon  which  the  human  intellect  seems  to  be  organized  for  work. 
It  is  now  generally  agreed  among  physiologists  and  psychol- 
ogists that  the  nerve  cells,  especially  those  in  the  cortex  of  the 
brain,  are  individual  and  relatively  independent  units.  These 
nerve  cells,  called  neurons,  form  associations  and  combinations 
of  increasing  complexity.  The  associated  groups  of  neurons 
form  systems  and  communities,  and  these  in  turn  are  organized 
into  clusters  and  constellations.  This  organization,  in  fact,  is 
that  of  the  mind  and  not  of  the  brain ;  it  is  purely  mental,  func- 
tional, and  not  in  any  sense  material  or  anatomical ;  so  that  the 
organization  of  the  human  mind  may  be  looked  upon  as  a  com- 
plex system  of  specialized  and  coordinated  powers  of  conscious- 
ness, presided  over  by  the  supreme  power  and  authority  of  the 
will.  The  human  intellect  may  be  looked  upon  as  being  a  com- 
plex system  of  many  minds.  As  in  other  phases  of  life,  the 
stability  of  these  psychic  coordinations  decreases  as  their  com- 
plexity increases.  This  fact,  I  may  say  in  passing,  may  be  of 
assistance  in  accounting  for  the  phenomenon  of  multiple  per- 
sonality, which  has  been  discussed  in  another  place. 

In  the  practice  of  psychotherapy,  reeducation  is  nothing  more 
or  less  than  a  process  of  mental  re- formation  —  new  groups  of 
ideas  are  created,  and  by  persistent  repetition  are  forced  into 
positions  of  power  and  influence  in  the  scheme  of  mental  organ- 
ization. The  false  conclusions,  the  harmful  and  unhealthy 
ideas  and  groups  of  ideas,  are  forced  into  the  background, 
while  the  new  idea  becomes  enthroned  in  a  position  of  power 
and  authority. 

While  the  intensity  of  mental  action  is  greatest  in  the  central 
consciousness,  it  should  be  remembered  that  the  contents  of  the 
mind  —  the  number  of  association  groups,  etc., —  is  greatly  in- 
creased as  we  go  out  toward  the  periphery,  the  marginal  con- 
sciousness. The  central  consciousness  is  concerned  with  a 
small  number  of  clear  and  vivid  thoughts,  while  the  marginal 
consciousness  is  occupied  with  an  almost  infinite  host  of 
thoughts  and  ideas,  all  of  which  are  more  or  less  hazy  and  in- 
definite, and  even  unconscious. 


THE  RE-EDUCATION  OF  THE  WILL  445 

It  is  interesting  to  observe,  in  this  connection,  that  the  use 
of  certain  drugs  is  able  to  light  up,  or  make  connection  with, 
the  marginal  consciousness,  so  that  long-forgotten  experiences 
may  be  called  up  into  the  central  consciousness.  Thus  De 
Quincey,  in  his  **  Confessions  of  an  English  Opium-eater," 
says: 

"  The  minutest  incidents  of  childhood  or  forgotten  scenes  of  later 
years  were  often  revived  by  the  use  of  opium.  I  could  not  be  said  to 
recollect  them,  for  if  I  had  been  told  of  them  when  waking,  I  should 
not  have  been  able  to  acknowledge  them  as  my  past  experience.  But 
placed  as  they  were  before  me  in  dream-like  intuitions,  and  clothed 
in  all  their  evanescent  circumstances,  and  accompanying  feeling,  I 
recognized  them  instantaneously." 

IDEAS    AND    EMOTIONS 

A  great  many  of  our  psychic  difficulties  arise  from  a  failure 
properly  to  control  our  ideas  and  regulate  our  emotions. 
Others  fail  to  distinguish  between  their  ideas  and  their  emo- 
tions. They  experience  emotions,  and  then  in  their  confusion, 
are  led  to  believe  that  they  had  really  formulated  an  idea,  when 
they  had  only  experienced  a  passing  emotion,  due  partially  to 
transient  disturbances  in  the  circulation. 

It  frequently  develops  that  the  mind  becomes  concentrated 
upon  our  failures,  focussed  upon  our  weaknesses,  and  there 
is  no  hope  of  success  until  this  matter  is  controlled  or  over- 
come.    As  Dr.  Barker  says : 

"  The  patient  afflicted  with  a  so-called  *  functional '  nervous  dis- 
order must,  it  is  true,  believe  in  his  physician;  but  the  physician's 
task  is  to  reeducate  the  patient  to  believe  in  himself.  More  than 
half  the  ills  of  one  class  of  nervous  patients  depend  upon  a  loss  of 
confidence  in  their  own  ability,  upon  a  sense  of  past  failure  and  of 
future  impotency.  They  have  tried  to  do  things  outside  their  pow- 
ers, and,  having  failed,  have  become  convinced  that  they  cannot  in 
any  way  be  efficient.  Their  minds  are  concentrated  upon  their  fail- 
ures and  their  disabilities,  instead  of  upon  their  successes.  It  is 
necessary  to  teach  them  how  again  to  become  confident  and  self- 
reliant,  by  assigning  to  them  small  tasks,  well  within  their  powers, 
and  proving  to  them  that  they  are  capable  of  overcoming  difficulty 
after  difficulty.  Many  may  soon  be  taught  to  count  victories  where 
formerly  every  effort  spelled  defeat." 

The  power  of  emotions  for  good  is  not  to  be  ignored,  but 


446      THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

they  become  a  dangerous  psychic  influence  when  allowed  to 
wield  the  balance  of  power  in  the  mind.  It  is  very  easy  for  an 
overpowering  emotion,  in  the  presence  of  an  unusual  situation, 
entirely  to  override  the  will,  to  displace  reason  and  judgment, 
literally  to  sweep  the  sufferer  off  his  feet.  Strong  emotions 
interfere  with  the  correct  interpretation  of  sensations,  and 
otherwise  have  a  tendency  to  disorganize  the  reasoning  power 
of  the  mind  as  well  as  to  stampede  the  judgment  and  the  will. 
Emotional  people  may  hear  all  sorts  of  strange  noises  during 
the  night  and  grossly  misinterpret  the  most  commonplace 
disturbances. 

There  is  an  unfortunate  class  of  people  who  have  become 
"  conventionally  emotional " ;  they  are  socially  trained  to  ex- 
perience only  those  emotions  which  are  proper  and  decorous; 
and  while  they  seem  to  possess  well-controlled  and  beautifully 
ordered  minds,  they  have  lost  their  individuality  and  original- 
ity; they  have  become  merely  social  automatons,  mechanically 
following  the  fashion;  they  have  but  the  one  standard  for  the 
regulation  of  their  thought  and  conduct  —  "What  will  people 
say?" 

THE  CONTROL  OF  EMOTION 

If  the  mind  is  not  carefully  organized,  and  the  thinking  con- 
ducted in  a  systematic  and  orderly  fashion,  the  emotions,  when 
running  riot,  may  even  go  into  the  realm  of  memory  and  there 
pervert,  distort,  and  destroy  our  very  recollections  of  things. 
Emotions  excite  the  heart  to  increased  action,  and  in  a  variety 
of  ways  produce  an  extravagant  expenditure  of  vital  energy. 
This  is  probably  due  to  the  fact  that  when  strong  emotions  are 
experienced,  the  higher  nervous  centres,  so  to  speak,  take  it  for 
granted  that  the  body  will  be  thrown  into  more  or  less  violent 
sympathetic  action;  thus  they  anticipate  the  need  of  increased 
circulation,  and  at  once  start  the  machinery  to  going  at  in- 
creased speed. 

Why  should  intelligent  human  beings  be  so  agitated  and 
thrown  into  extraordinary  panic  by  hearing  a  piece  of  gossip, 
or  by  discovering  that  some  one  has  told  a  falsehood  about 
them?  Just  the  other  day  we  saw  a  splendid  woman  almost  go 
into  a  fit  of  hysteria  upon  learning  a  bit  of  gossip  about  her- 


THE  RE-EDUCATION  OF  THE  WILL  447 

self  which  had  been  peddled  about  the  neighborhood.  She  had 
palpitation  of  the  heart,  twitching  of  the  muscles,  pain  in  her 
right  side,  and  a  violent  headache,  which  lasted  for  two  days. 
She  was  first  white  in  the  face,  then  flushed.  And  this  picture 
represents  the  common  experience  of  those  who  suffer  from 
deficient  emotional  control.  It  is  nothing  more  or  less  than  an 
animal  outburst  of  passion,  although  it  may  be  called  "  right- 
eous indignation,"  and  by  sundry  other  dignified  and  civilized 
names. 

Emotion  represents  a  very  intimate  interassociation  between 
the  mind  and  the  body.  The  man  who  would  acquire  a  high 
degree  of  self-control  must  begin  on  the  emotions.  Never 
suppress  or  annihilate  them  —  rather  control  and  coordinate 
them.  Those  who  have  chronic  congestion  in  any  one  organ  of 
the  body;  those  who  suffer  chronically  from  cold  hands  and 
feet  and  pale  skins,  are  much  more  likely  than  others  to  become 
victims  of  violent  emotional  outbreaks.  To  balance  the  circu- 
lation and  purify  the  blood  will  greatly  aid  in  securing  control 
of  the  emotions.  If  the  emotions  are  not  controlled,  they  will 
eventually  evolve  into  veritable  psychic  desperadoes,  charging 
around  through  the  mind  in  disorderly  fashion,  utterly  destroy- 
ing the  finer  sensibilities,  building  themselves  up  into  tyran- 
nical masters,  swaying  the  mind  at  will,  and  utterly 
supplanting  reason  and  judgment. 

It  is  a  common  experience  that  anger  is  augmented  by  in- 
dulging in  muscular  gesticulations  and  physical  demon- 
strations. To  suppress  the  physiological  reaction  of  temper 
does  much  to  control  the  anger  at  its  seat  —  in  the  mind.  A 
common  illustration  of  this  is  shown  in  the  case  of  children, 
who  often  begin  their  pranks  with  a  playful  scuffle  and  end  up 
with  a  dead-in-earnest,  hand-to-hand  slugging  match. 

HOW  NEUROSES  ORIGINATE 

The  larger  part  of  our  nervous  disturbances  and  psychic 
disorders  have  their  origin  in  wrong  methods  of  thinking  — 
false  conclusions  and  uncontrolled  emotions.  For  example,  a 
woman  begins  to  lose  her  memory,  so  she  thinks.  She  at  once 
begins  to  reason  that  a  loss  of  memory  means  loss  of  mind, 
and  that  loss  of  mind  eventually  spells  insanitj^;  so  she  at  once 


448      THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

begins  to  plan  on  going  crazy.    She  thinks  about  it,  worries  about 
it,  and  talks  about  it  until  her  mind  is  so  unsettled  that  she  con- 
sults  a  physician.     Unless   she   is   rescued   by  the   skilful   em- 
ployment  of   reeducation,   it    is    even    probable    that  she    may 
effect  a  temporary  derangement  of  her  mind. 
J^    Another   illustration   of  the   origin   of  nervous  disorders  is 
I  found  in  the  attitude  that  many  persons  take  toward  loss  of 
I  sleep  and  its  consequences.     It  is  a  universal  belief  that  one 
^  will  soon  get  sick  or  go   crazy  if  he  does  not  have  regular 


u. 


^.^^^ 


sleep.  It  is  not  generally  known  that  ordinary  rest  in  bed,  or 
even  being  comfortably  seated  in  a  chair,  will  very  largely  take 
the  place  of  sleep.  The  layman  does  not  understand  that  he 
can  go  without  sleep  for  weeks,  and  have  comparatively  little 
sleep  for  months,  without  in  any  way  permanently  or  seriously 
harming  the  mental  or  physical  health,  provided  he  is  able 
quietly  to  lie  in  bed  and  rest.  We  frequently  find  persons  who 
have  reasoned  and  worried  themselves  into  a  state  of  chronic 
neurasthenia  because  they  do  not  sleep  soundly  for  eight  or 
I  nine  hours  every  night.  They  talk  about  their  disturbed  sleep, 
their  lack  of  sleep,  their  inability  to  sleep  —  it  has  become  a 
hobby  with  them;  they  think  about  it  and  talk  about  it  all  the 
time.  A  great  many  of  these  persons,  if  they  would  become 
I  thoroughly  indifferent  to  sleep,  would  probably  be  able  to  se- 
I    cure  an   abundance  of  refreshing  rest  in  short  order. 

These  are  but  common  illustrations  of  false  methods  of  rea- 
soning which  make  nervous  wrecks  out  of  many  people.  A 
nervous  dyspeptic  will  render  himself  miserable  over  what  his 
dyspepsia  might  grow  into,  when  the  truth  is,  his  stomach 
troubles  would  largely  disappear  if  he  would  quit  thinking  about 
them.  So,  in  many  other  ways,  nervous  and  emotional  people 
reason  themselves  into  a  maze  of  difficulties,  and  worry  them- 
selves into  a  tangle  of  fictitious  troubles  and  imaginary 
obstacles. 

METHOD   OF    PRACTISING   REEDUCATION 

More  or  less  psycho-analysis  must  precede  the  successful 
practice  of  psychic  reeducation.  It  will  not  be  necessary  here 
to  repeat  the  principles  underlying  psycho-analysis  or  mental 
diagnosis,  which  were  discussed  in  the  chapter  on  psychothe- 


THE  RE-EDUCATION  OF  THE  WILL  449 

rapy.  After  having  carefully  examined  the  mind  of  the  pa- 
tient and  having  arrived  at  a  diagnosis  of  the  underlying  causes 
of  his  nervous  disorders  and  psychic  difficulties,  the  method  to 
be  pursued  in  the  process  of  reeducating  the  patient's  mind  and 
strengthening  the  will  may  be  summarized  as  follows: 

1.  Make  sure  that  you  have  not  overlooked  any  physical 
condition  or  bodily  disease  which  may  be  acting  as  a  contrib- 
uting cause  in  the  mental  disturbances  or  nervous  disorders. 
See  that  digestion,  circulation,  metabolism,  and  elimination  are 
proceeding  normally. 

2.  One  of  the  best  methods  of  arriving  quickly  at  a  mental 
diagnosis  is  to  allow  the  patient  to  tell  his  story  —  talk  it  all 
out.  It  is  the  author's  practice,  after  getting  pleasantly  settled 
in  the  office  and  becoming  fairly  well  acquainted  with  the  pa- 
tient, to  start  him  on  his  story  and  never  to  interrupt,  never  to 
ask  a  single  question,  until  he  has  finished  talking.  We  knew 
of  a  nervous  woman  who  talked  of  herself  this  way  for  an 
hour  and  a  half;  made  up  her  mind  she  was  the  "biggest  fool 
in  town "  ;  analyzed  the  cause  of  her  difficulty,  and  within 
six  weeks  had  practised  reeducation  and  auto-suggestion  on  her- 
self to  the  point  where  she  was  completely  restored.  It  was 
one  of  the  most  successful  and  remarkable  cases  the  author 
has  ever  met. 

3.  After  the  patient's  story  is  told,  arrive  at  just  as  accurate 
a  diagnosis  as  possible  respecting  the  false  methods  of  reason- 
ing and  the  erroneous  conclusions  which  have  led  him  into  this 
neurotic  condition.  It  is  absolutely  necessary  that  the  definite 
ideas,  emotions,  and  false  conclusions  shall  be  isolated,  pre- 
paratory to  the  successful  employment  of  reeducation. 

4.  Now  that  the  examination  and  diagnosis  are  completed, 
the  time  has  come  for  reeducational  therapeutics.  Begin  at 
once  to  point  out  to  the  patient  the  exact  error  in  the  working 
of  the  mental  machinery.  Explain  simply,  fully,  and  specific- 
ally, wherein  the  trouble  lies.  Be  methodic  and  positive  as 
far  as  you  are  conversant  with  the  case.  Explain  things  to  the 
patient  honestly,  frankly,  and  fully,  just  as  they  appear  to  you. 
Lay  aside  all  this  nonsense  about  laymen  not  being  able  to 
understand  their  diseases.     If  explained  in  plain  English,  it  is 


450      THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

the  author's  experience  that  most  patients  are  able  to  under- 
stand their  difficulties  just  about  as  well  as  a  physician.  En- 
deavor to  make  a  logical,  full,  and  rational  presentation  of  the 
whole  thing  to  the  patient's  mind,  just  as  it  appears  to  you. 

5.  The  next  essential  step,  having  laid  matters  before  these 
ervous  patients,  is  to  secure  their  full  confidence  and  hearty 

cooperation;  and  then  day  by  day  and  week  by  week  continue 
that  persistent,  systematic,  and  methodical  work  of  repeating 
this  story,  building  it  up,  developing  it  and  addmg  to  it  from 
time  to  time,  until  the  new  teaching  comes  to  occupy  the  centre 
of  the  stage  and  effectually  drive  the  old  and  false  ideas  into 
the  background. 

6.  It  is  highly  important  that  these  nervous  patients  should 
specifically  recognize  wherein  their  former  mental  habits  (their 
old  ways  of  looking  at  things)  were  wrong.  It  is  highly  es- 
sential that  they  should  individually  recognize  their  mistakes 
and  acknowledge  them,  for  in  these  cases  confession  is  good 
for  the  soul.  See  to  it  that  their  false  ideas  of  disease  are  cast 
out  of  the  mind.  Make  them  definitely  promise  to  work  with 
you  toward  the  development  of  the  new  and  right  ideas. 

THE    RANGE    OF   REEDUCATION 

It  will  readily  appear  that  the  practice  of  this  method  of 
psychotherapy  requires  no  unusual  skill,  no  extraordinary 
knowledge,  not  even  special  knowledge  respecting  psychology 
on  the  part  of  the  practitioner.  It  is  entirely  possible  for  cer- 
tain people  who  have  awakened  to  a  recognition  of  their 
psychic  condition  to  practise  this  method  upon  themselves;  in 
which  case  it  would,  of  course,  partake  largely  of  the  nature 
of  auto-suggestion.  Any  physician  can  practise  this  method 
upon  his  patients;  any  intelligent  parent  can  utilize  it  in  child 
culture;  any  wide-awake  teacher  can  use  it  in  the  work  of 
teaching.  And  herein  lies  its  greatest  power;  that  is,  it  is 
practical  and  entirely  free  from  deception,  sophistry,  and  de- 
lusion. This  method  is  certainly  the  most  simple,  and  at  the 
same  time  the  most  successful,  of  all  the  procedures  of  modern 
psychotherapy. 

It  is  a  great  mistake  to  shock  nervous  patients  by  telling 
them  they  are  abnormally  neurotic,  neurasthenic,  or  psychas- 


THE  RE-EDUCATION  OF  THE  WILL  451 

thenic.  It  is  our  practice  to  tell  such  patients  that  they  are  in 
difficulty  as  the  result  of  ignorance,  or  from  long-continued 
misinterpretation  of  their  emotions,  or  as  a  result  of  false 
reasoning  and  the  formation  of  unsound  conclusions.  We 
often  explain  to  such  patients  that  they  have  reasoned  entirely 
right,  that  they  are  not  to  be  blamed  for  the  conclusions  they 
formed,  but  that  their  mistake  consisted  in  the  fact  that  they 
began  to  reason  from  a  false  premise;  and  then  we  seek  to 
make  clear  to  them  the  falsity  of  their  premises,  substituting 
therefor  a  true  basis.  Almost  immediately  they  begin  the 
process  of  reasoning  themselves  out  of  trouble,  just  as  formerly 
they  so  disastrously  reasoned  themselves  into  trouble.  It  is 
not  so  debilitating  and  humiliating  to  be  told  that  we  are  ig- 
norant as  it  is  to  be  told  we  are  neurotic  or  neurasthenic. 

This  method  of  reeducation  may  be  used  on  a  large  range  of 
worried,  nervous,  so-called  neurotic  patients.  It  demands 
neither  hypnosis  nor  suggestion,  as  that  term  is  ordinarily  un- 
derstood. It  occupies  the  greatest  possible  field  of  psychic 
endeavor ;  and  while  it  is  useful  and  successful  in  a  large  num- 
ber of  cases,  and  results  in  greatly  strengthening  the  mind,  in 
the  end  it  is  found  to  be  nothing  more  or  less  than  a  process  of 
reeducating  the  will.  It  must  be  remembered  that  it  is  prob- 
ably inadequate  in  marked  cases  of  hysteria,  in  disorders  of 
personality,  and  in  extreme  cases  of  obsession. 

REFLECTION  AND  ACTION 

The  strong  mind  acts  slowly;  the  weak  mind  acts  quickly, 
on  the  spur  of  the  moment.  Daydreaming  is  good  for  the 
imagination,  and  is  a  pleasant  and  profitable  exercise  for  the 
mind;  nevertheless,  we  should  never  allow  the  creations  of  our 
daydreaming  to  assume  control  of  the  intellectual  reins.  We 
need  to  cultivate  the  habit  of  reflection  —  that  is,  of  thinking 
before  we  act.  The  acquirement  of  the  reflection  habit  would 
save  us  a  great  deal  of  unnecessary  suffering  and  sorrow.  By 
reflection  we  do  not  mean  study,  or  mere  thinking.  Study 
leads  to  knowledge,  but  reflection  is  manifested  in  action.  The 
highest  degree  of  reflection  is  possible  only  in  the  presence  of  a 
high  degree  of  will-power.  As  we  strengthen  the  will  by 
reeducation,  the  mind  will  have  a  better  opportunity  to  reflect, 


452      THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

and  then  our  actions  will  become  better  ordered  and  controlled. 
(See  Fig.  36.)  Payot  has  very  fittingly  described  the  processes 
which  take  place  when  the  mind  is  held  composed  and  under 
the  influence  of  a  dominant  idea.     He  says : 

"  In  chemistry  we  learn  that  if  one  plunges  a  crystal  into  a  solu- 
tion in  which  several  substances  are  held  in  saturation,  the  molecules 
of  the  same  nature  as  the  crystal,  drawn  together  from  the  depths 
of  the  solution  by  some  mysterious  attraction,  will  begin  to  group 
themselves  slowly  around  it.  The  crystal  grows  little  by  little,  and 
if  it  is  kept  perfectly  quiet  for  weeks  or  months,  it  will  form  those 
wonderful  crystals  whose  size  and  beauty  are  the  joy  and  pride  of 
the  laboratory.  But  if  the  solution  be  constantly  jarred  or  dis- 
turbed, the  deposit  will  be  formed  irregularly,  the  crystal  will  be 
imperfect  and  will  remain  small.  The  same  thing  is  true  in 
psychology.  If  one  keeps  any  psychological  state  whatever  in  the 
foreground  of  consciousness,  it  will  insensibly,  by  an  affinity  no 
less  mysterious  than  the  other,  gradually  attract  to  itself  other  in- 
tellectual states  of  the  same  nature.  If  this  condition  is  kept  up  for 
a  long  time,  it  will  gather  around  it  an  organized  group  of  forces 
of  considerable  power,  and  will  acquire  a  decisive  and  almost  abso- 
lute control  of  consciousness,  silencing  every  other  idea  that  is  op- 
posed to  it. 

"  If  this  'crystallization'  goes  on  slowly  without  disturbance  or 
interruption,  it  will  acquire  a  remarkably  strong  character.  The 
group  of  feelings  thus  formed  will  be  sharply  defined,  powerful,  and 
calm.  And  here  we  may  note  that  there  is  perhaps  no  idea  which 
cannot,  if  we  so  wish,  create  within  us  such  a  group  or  clan  of  as- 
sociated ideas.  Religious  ideas,  maternal  feeling,  and  even  such  low, 
despicable  sentiments  as  love  of  money  for  its  own  sake,  may  rise 
up  in  us  and  gain  this  powerful  ascendency.  But  few  are  the  men 
and  still  fewer  are  the  young  men  who  possess  the  calmness  neces- 
sary to  carry  on  this  work  of  slow  'crystallization.' 

SELF-MASTERY 

"  The  most  efficacious  way  of  attaining  this  mastery  of  self  is  to 
arouse  vigorous  likes  or  vehement  dislikes  in  the  soul.  We  must, 
therefore,  try  to  keep  in  mind  certain  reflections  which  will  help  us 
to  make  ourselves  love  work  and  detest  an  easy,  useless,  stupid,  idle 
life. 

"  Our  words  frequently  follow  one  another  so  quickly  and  call  up 
such  a  multitude  of  pictures,  that  none  of  them  achieve  any  distinct- 
ness.   As  a  result  this  superficial  thinking  merely  fatigues  the  mind 


riG.36.       WILL  POWER  AND  CHARACTER  . 


THE  RE-EDUCATION  OF  THE  WILL  453 

uselessly.  A  sort  of  stupefaction  is  produced  by  this  jumble  of 
images  which  comes  to  nothing.  The  remedy  for  this  evil  is  to  see 
things  clearly  and  in  great  detail.  For  example,  do  not  say :  '  My 
parents  will  be  pleased';  but  call  up  a  picture  of  your  father, 
imagine  that  you  are  seeing  the  manifestation  of  his  joy  at  each  of 
your  successes ;  picture  him  receiving  the  congratulations  of  his 
friends  and  his  family.  Try  to  imagine  your  mother's  pride,  and  her 
pleasure  during  the  vacation,  when  she  strolls  up  and  down  on  the 
arm  of  the  son  of  whom  she  is  so  proud ;  imagine  yourself  invisibly 
present  at  the  evening  meal  where  they  are  talking  of  you. 

"  Meditative  reflection  is  an  indispensable  element  in  the  educa- 
tion of  the  will,  but  by  itself  it  is  powerless.  It  gathers  the  scat- 
tered forces  of  the  mind  together  for  united  action  and  gives  en- 
thusiasm and  incentive;  but,  just  as  the  strongest  winds  of  heaven 
pass  uselessly  by  if  they  meet  no  sail  to  swell  and  drive  forward,  so 
even  the  most  powerful  emotions  lie  sterile  if  they  do  not,  each 
time  that  they  arise,  contribute  some  of  their  energy  to  our  .activity, 
in  the  same  way  that  some  of  the  work  a  student  does  is  registered 
in  his  memory.  Nothing  is  lost  in  our  psychological  life;  nature  is 
a  most  scrupulous  accountant.  Those  actions  which  appear  the  most 
insignificant,  if  only  they  are  constantly  repeated,  will  form  for  us 
in  the  course  of  weeks  or  months  or  years  an  enormous  total  which 
is  inscribed  in  the  organic  memory  in  the  form  of  ineradicable 
habits.  This  crystallization  of  our  energy  into  habits  cannot  be  ac- 
complished by  meditative  reflection  alone;   it  requires  action. 

"Unmethodical,  scattered  work  is  very  wearying,  and  what  often 
is  imputed  to  the  work  itself,  comes  from  work  which  is  merely 
badly  directed.  The  thing  that  wearies  one  is  the  multiplicity  of 
occupations  which  bring  with  them  none  of  the  joy  of  an  accom- 
plished task.  When  the  mind  is  drawn  in  several  different  direc- 
tions, it  always  has  a  sense  of  dull  uneasiness  during  its  work.  It  is 
the  undertakings  which  are  left  in  a  rough,  unfinished  state  that  give 
rise  to  such  wearisome  mental  worry." 

SYSTEM   IN   THOUGHT  AND  WORK 

As  a  part  of  the  therapeutics  of  reeducation,  the  author  has 
found  it  very  desirable  to  insist  upon  the  reorganization  of  the 
patient's  life  upon  a  systematic  basis,  to  make  provision  for 
the  regular  and  periodic  performance  of  certain  tasks,  so  that 
when  established  in  healthy  channels,  these  acts  shall  become 
automatic;  in  other  words,  to  lay  the  foundation  for  good 
habits,  to  whose  power  we  trust  for  the  final  overthrow  and 


454      THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

vanquishing  of  the  bad  habits.  Further,  the  systematic  method 
of  doing  big  things  assists  in  overcoming  the  tendency  to 
worry  over  the  difficulties  represented  by  a  host  of  inconse- 
quential trifles  in  the  daily  life.  Now,  it  is  necessary  to  watch 
some  nervous  patients.  It  is  very  important  'that  you  do  not 
too  soon  over-emphasize  the  necessity  for  system,  or  else  the 
patient  may  merely  throw  his  mental  switches  and  suddenly 
acquire  a  veritable  craze  for  orderliness,  and  thus  defeat  the 
real  purpose  of  your  therapeutic  procedures.  It  is  necessary 
to  study  one's  strength,  and  then  to  arrange  for  a  proper 
amount  of  physical  and  mental  work,  and  not  be  too  easily 
frightened  by  apparent  weariness  of  mind  and  body;  for  what 
some  patients  call  "  nervous  collapse  "  is  nothing  more  or  less 
than  a  common,  everyday  tired  feeling  —  normal  and  natural 
fatigue. 

Systematic,  natural,  and  honest  ways  of  thinking  about  things 
and  looking  at  things  will  do  much  to  deliver  nervous  people 
from  their  bondage.  We  must  learn  to  call  things  by  their  right 
names  and  to  look  upon  them  in  their  true  relationship.  There 
is  nothing  to  be  gained  by  allowing  jealous,  high-tempered, 
gossiping  women  to  call  their  troubles  "  sensitive  nerves,"  while 
one  doctor  calls  it  neurasthenia  and  another  hysteria.  The  best 
way  is  to  put  your  finger  directly  on  the  devilment,  and  then 
work  intelligently  for  its  removal. 

Too  many  people  are  nervous  cowards.  Their  souls  are  lit- 
erally filled  with  fear,  but  it  should  be  recognized  that  courage 
and  cowardice  are  mere  states  of  mind,  and  that  they  are  sus- 
ceptible of  control  by  the  will-power.  Thousands  of  people 
are  constantly  bemoaning  their  shortcomings  and  recounting 
their  obstacles.  Of  just  such  people  it  has  very  fittingly  been 
said,  "  Better  play  the  game  than  bewail  the  handicap." 

SUMMARY   OF   THE   CHAPTER 

1.  Reeducation,  as  a  procedure  in  psychotherapy,  is  depend- 
ent for  its  success  on  intelligent,  methodical,  and  persistent 
educational  processes  —  it  is  a  reforming  of  the  habits  of 
thought  respecting  oneself. 

2.  The  human  mind  is  organized  on  the  basis  of  associated 
groups  of  ideas  which  are  in  turn  formed  into  systems,  commun- 


THE  RE-EDUCATION  OF  THE  WILL  455 

ities,  clusters,  and  constellations,  with  increasing  complexity. 
This  organization  is  functional,  not  anatomical. 

3.  The  central  consciousness  is  active  with  a  small  number 
of  clear  and  vivid  thoughts,  while  the  marginal  consciousness  is 
occupied  with  an  indefinite  host  of  hazy  and  even  wnconscious 
thoughts  and  ideas. 

4.  Many  psychic  disorders  arise  from  a  failure  to  control 
ideas  and  regulate  emotions.  Nervous  disturbances  frequently 
result  from  the  continuous  contemplation  of  one's  failures  and 
blunders. 

5.  It  is  entirely  possible  for  an  overpowering  emotion  abso- 
lutely to  override  the  will,  to  displace  reason  and  judgment,  to 
sweep  the  sufferer  off  his  feet. 

6.  Uncontrolled  emotions  disorganize  the  circulation,  agitate 
the  nerves,  and  diminish  strength.  On  the  other  hand,  a  well- 
balanced  circulation  assists  in  gaining  control  of  the  emotions. 

7.  If  the  emotions  are  not  properly  controlled,  they  may 
evolve  into  psychic  desperadoes,  demoralizing  the  intellect,  tyr- 
annizing over  the  will,  and  utterly  supplanting  all  judgment  and 
ireason. 

8.  Anger  is  usually  augmented  by  gesticulations  and  other 
physical  demonstrations.  To  suppress  the  physiological  reaction 
of  temper  does  much  toward  controlling  anger. 

9.  Many  nervous  disorders  owe  their  origin  to  false  fears  — 
fear  of  losing  the  memory,  fear  of  going  crazy,  fear  of  losing 
one's  mind  from  lack  of  sleep.  Such  sufferers  are  cured  by 
demonstrating  the  falsity  of  their  fears. 

10.  Following  psycho-analysis  and  mental  diagnosis,  thera- 
peutic reeducation  is  practised  by  repeatedly,  frankly,  and  fully 
explaining  the  real  cause  of  the  patient's  nervous  disorder, 
pointing  out  specifically  wherein  his  reasoning  and  conclusions 
are  false. 

11.  Reeducation  is  adapted  to  the  treatment  of  all  sorts  of 
neurotic  and  neurasthenic  patients.  It  requires  neither  hypno- 
tism nor  suggestion.  It  is  inadequate  for  the  cure  of  profound 
hysteria,  persistent  obsessions,  and  disorders  of  personality. 

12.  Strong  minds  act  slowly;  weak  minds  act  on  the  spur  of 
the  moment.     Study  leads  to  knowledge,  but  reflection  leads  to 


456      THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

action.     "Crystallization"   of  thought  goes  on  slowly  in  the 
mind —  calmness  is  essential. 

13.  "  This  crystallization  of  our  energy  into  habits  cannot  be 
accomplished  by  meditative  reflection  alone;  it  requires  action." 

14.  An  essential  part  of  reeducation  is  the  reorganization  of 
the  life  conduct  upon  a  systematic  basis.  The  systematic  method 
of  doing  big  things  assists  in  overcoming  the  worry  about  small 
things. 

15.  Some  nervous  persons  make  a  craze  out  of  orderliness. 
They  have  "  nervous  collapse  "  on  experiencing  the  least  mental 
weariness  or  physical  fatigue.  We  have  too  many  nervous 
cowards.    "  Better  play  the  game  than  bewail  the  handicap." 


CHAPTER   XXXVIII 

PSYCHIC  FADS  AND  FAKES 

Charms,  relics,  and  shrines. —  Quackery  and  patent 
MEDICINES. —  Astrology  and  palmistry. —  Phrenolog/  and 
physiognomy. —  Clairvoyance  and  fortune-telling. — 
Crystal-gazing  and  shell-hearing. —  Trances  and  cata- 
lepsy.—  Automatic  writing  and  talking. —  Telepathy 
and    magnetic    healing. spiritualism. dowieism    and 

DEMONOLOGY. —  NeW       THOUGHT       AND       MENTAL       SCIENCE. — 

Hypnotism       and       mesmerism. —  Christian      Science. — 
Reason  vs.  sophistry. —  Summary  of  the  chapter. 

ALL  through  the  ages  sharp  and  unscrupulous  persons  have 
deceived  and  imposed  upon  the  credulous  and  unsuspect- 
ing. Many  and  varied  have  been  the  means  of  their  deception, 
trickery,  and  imposition.  The  world's  greatest  frauds,  fakers, 
and  impostors  have  operated  largely  along  psychic  lines,  and 
in  the  field  of  so-called  divine  healing.  In  every  age  the  com- 
mon people  have  been  deceived  not  only  by  these  out  and  out 
frauds  and  fakes,  but  also  by  various  other  psychic  fads  — 
teaching  more  or  less  true,  but  which  has  been  perverted  by 
exaggeration  and  distortion.  After  the  authorities  have  been 
able  to  do  something  toward  the  proper  regulation  of  patent 
medicines  and  food  adulterations,  let  us  hope  that  some  legal 
means  will  be  devised  for  putting  these  psychic  sharks  and 
healing  impostors  permanently  out  of  business. 

CHARMS,    RELICS,    AND    SHRINES 

It  is  to  be  deplored  that  in  the  twentieth  century  of  our 
civilization  people  can  still  be  found  flocking  to  various  noted 
shrines,  depending  upon  charms  for  the  protection  of  life  and 
the  maintenance  of  health,  as  well  as  looking  to  relics  for  the 
healing  of  disease.    To  this  class  of  psychic  deceptions  belongs 

457 


458      THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

the  whole  category  of  Indian  magic  and  Oriental  psychic 
sophistry.  (See  Fig.  37.)  It  is  all  nothing  more  or  less  than 
a  gigantic  system  of  trickery  and  humbuggery,  which,  whenever 
it  works,  is  successful  through  the  efficacy  of  that  same  sugges- 
tion which  we  have  so  much  discussed.  While  a  Hindoo  ma- 
gician was  causing  snakes  to  crawl  up  a  rope,  an  enterprising 
Yankee  took  a  snap-shot  of  the  performance,  and  on  developing 
his  negative  discovered  only  the  picture  of  a  rope  —  there  was 
no  snake. 

These  various  forms  of  occult  teaching  all  depend  upon  their 
mysticism  to  hold  the  attention  and  reverence  of  the  people. 
And  it  must  be  recognized  that  mysticism  still  possesses  great 
power  over  the  average  citizen. 

QUACKERY    AND    PATENT    MEDICINES 

In  former  chapters  we  have  called  attention  to  the  fact  that 
quack  doctors  and  famous  patent  medicines  owe  their  reputation 
to  the  power  of  suggestion.  There  can  be  little  doubt  that  the 
majority  of  the  prominent  patent  medicines  on  the  market  to- 
day, that  do  not  owe  their  power  to  alcohol  or  some  other 
deceptive  habit-producing  drug,  owe  their  popularity  and 
success  to  ingenious  advertising  and  carefully  prepared  testi- 
monials, all  of  which  possess  a  high  degree  of  suggestive  thera- 
peutic power.  The  author  has  investigated  the  methods  of 
prominent  quacks  and  charlatans,  and  knows  that  their  great 
success  is  due  almost  entirely  to  the  methods  of  suggestion  as 
hereinbefore  described. 

ASTROLOGY    AND    PALMISTRY 

In  connection  with  the  consideration  of  ancient  medical  de- 
ceptions, the  reader's  attention  was  called  to  the  fact  that  the 
movements  of  the  stars  (astrology)  has  absolutely  nothing  to 
do  with  health  and  disease ;  and  yet  there  are  to  be  found  to-day 
intelligent  men  and  women  who  still  believe  that  the  march  of 
the  heavenly  hosts  through  space  is  connected  with  the  cause 
and  cure  of  disease. 

Palmistry  is  more  or  less  believed  by  a  large  number  of 
people.  A  well-known  professional  palmist  some  time  ago  told 
the  author  that  the  only  thing  she  could  tell  from  looking  at 
a  person's  hand  was  whether  or  not  he  did  hard  work.     She 


FIG. 37.         CHARMS  ,  RELIC5  AND  5HRINE5. 


nG.38.    A5TR0L0GY  AMp  }PAtt^X5TR^,- 


'r.s^>, 


PSYCHIC  FADS  AND  FAKES  459 

further  explained  that  she  made  her  delineations  of  character 
by  looking  at  the  face,  talking  with  the  person,  and  from  her 
general  impressions;  that  the  practice  of  palmistry  was  merely 
a  ruse  for  securing  the  attention  of  the  people  and  getting  their 
money.  Certainly  the  study  of  the  palms  will  not  reveal  the 
outcome  of  disease  or  the  likelihood  and  character  of  future 
maladies.  Palmistry,  as  it  is  professionally  practised,  is  a 
fraud  from  first  to  last.     (See  Fig.  38.) 

PHRENOLOGY  AND   PHYSIOGNOMY 

Phrenology  was  never  a  science  excepting  in  name.  The 
term  suggests  a  multitude  of  frauds.  The  author  has  a  friend 
who  used  to  be  a  professional  phrenologist,  who  says  he  de- 
pends more  upon  the  facial  expression  and  the  countenance 
than  on  the  cranial  bumps,  when  he  tries  to  delineate  character. 
Like  palmistry,  phrenology  has  been  the  means  of  separating 
many  curious  persons  from  their  money.  We  know  of  a 
young  man  who  was  studying  medicine,  when  a  phrenologist 
told  him  he  would  make  a  better  lawyer.  He  gave  up  the  study 
of  medicine,  and  commenced  to  study  law,  but  made  a  complete 
failure  of  it.  There  ought  to  be  a  way  of  preventing  these 
phrenological  scalawags  from  misleading  the  unsophisticated 
and  ignorant.  The  bumps  on  one's  head  might  indicate  some- 
thing of  what  he  had  been  and  what  he  had  done,  but  they  are 
of  little  value  in  determining  what  he  can  be  or  what  he  can 
do.  It  is  true  that  when  the  brain  has  long  been  exercised  and 
greatly  developed  at  one  particular  point,  the  skull  will  pro- 
trude  outward  to  accommodate  this  increased  formation  of 
brain  substance,  but  it  requires  years  to  make  these  noticeable 
changes.  The  bumps  on  one's  head  can  hardly  be  said  to  be 
definitely  indicative  of  anything  in  the  way  of  character  or  of 
specific  mental  powers.  It  is  true  only  in  the  rough  that  a 
man  can  be  judged  by  the  form  of  his  head.     (See  Fig.  39.) 

CLAIRVOYANCE     AND     FORTUNE  TELLING 

Clairvoyance  and  fortune-telling  are  ingenious  psychic  fakes. 
Clairvoyants  are  those  persons  who  have  elected  to  commer- 
cialize their  natural  gift,  the  gift  of  discernment,  the  ability  to 
read  human  character.  Most  successful  clairvoyants  are 
women  who  possess  a  keen  sense  of  discrimination  and  dis- 


46o       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

cernment  of  character  —  psychic  gifts  which  are  certainly 
worthy  of  better  employment  than  in  the  ways  and  means 
commonly  followed  by  professional  clairvoyants. 

The  clairvoyants'  advice  cannot  be  true  in  the  whole.  Their 
claim  of  ability  to  predict  events,  to  locate  valuable  mines,  to 
settle  domestic  difficulties,  to  consummate  love  affairs,  as  well 
as  to  direct  business  policies,  are  all  mere  fraudulent  preten- 
sions. Sorrow  of  heart  and  pecuniary  disaster  have  rewarded 
many  an  unsuspecting  and  trusting  soul  who  attempted  to  follow 
their  advice. 

Fortune-telling  and  the  use  of  dream  books  are  other  meth- 
ods of  confusing  and  confounding  the  minds  of  honest  people. 
This  whole  nefarious  scheme  of  keeping  alive  superstition  is 
to  be  deplored.  The  time  has  certainly  come  when  intelligent 
men  and  women  should  strike  off  these  ancient  fetters  of 
psychic  bondage. 

CRYSTAL-GAZING    AND    SHELL-HEARING 

Among  the  psychic  delusions  of  the  recent  past  which  persist 
even  to  the  present  hour  are  to  be  found  the  practices  of  crystal- 
^  gazing  and  shell-hearing.  (See  Fig.  40.)  Certain  persons  with 
unstable  nervous  systems,  when  they  have  long  gazed  intently 
into  a  crystal,  become,  in  a  measure,  auto-hypnotized.  In  such 
a  state,  groups  of  thoughts  may  be  transmitted  from  the  mar- 
ginal consciousness  to  the  central  consciousness,  with  such  a 
suddenness  and  vividness  as  to  impress  the  crystal-gazer  with 
the  idea  that  they  originated  in  the  external  world.  These 
thoughts  are  suddenly  projected  outward  from  the  conscious- 
ness, and  take  hold  of  the  semi-hypnotized  inquirer  after  the 
fashion  of  an  ordinary  hallucination.  That  is,  the  crystal-gazer 
has  his  subconscious  images  apparently  projected  into  the 
crystal,  so  that  he  sees  images,  pictures,  and  other  things, 
which,  in  his  ignorance,  he  believes  originate  and  actually  exist 
in  the  crystal. 

The  old  practice  of  shell-hearing  is  an  instance  of  this  same 
sort  of  reversion  of  psychic  behavior.  In  this  case  voices 
originate  in  the  marginal  consciousness  (the  subconscious 
mind)  and  are  projected  outward  into  the  shell,  and  thus  the 
listener    experiences    auditory    hallucinations.      Crystal-gazing 


FIG. 59. 

PHRENOLOGICAL       CHART 
OF     HUMAN    DESTINY 


j'/ >:^.-  ':i..r>'. 


PSYCHIC  FADS  AND  FAKES  461 

and  shell-hearing  are  analogous  to  automatic  writing  and  speak- 
ing, which  will  be  considered  presently. 

TRANCES    AND    CATALEPSY 

In  the  cataleptic  state  consciousness  is  diffused  —  seems  to 
be  pushed  far  out  toward  the  periphery.  It  is  at  a  dead  level  of 
intensity.  The  mental  life  is  largely  in  the  dim  marginal  state. 
The  physiological  processes  of  the  body  are  slowed  down;  in 
fact,  they  come  to  assume  conditions  very  much  like  those 
which  prevail  in  the  hibernating  animal.  The  body  may  be- 
come stiff  and  extraordinarily  rigid.  It  is  in  this  condition  that 
the  great  trance  mediums  of  history  and  of  the  present  time 
usually  are  found  when  they  receive  their  wonderful  revela- 
tions and  visions.     (See  Fig.  41.) 

It  is  not  uncommon  for  persons  in  a  cataleptic  trance  to 
imagine  themselves  taking  trips  to  other  worlds.  In  fact,  the 
wonderful  accounts  of  their  experiences,  which  they  write  out 
after  these  cataleptic  attacks  are  over,  are  so  unique  and  mar- 
vellous as  to  serve  as  the  basis  for  founding  new  sects,  cults, 
and  religions.  Many  strange  and  unique  religious  movements 
have  thus  been  founded  and  built  up.  It  is  an  interesting  study 
in  psychology  to  note  that  these  trance  mediums  always  see 
visions  in  harmony  with  their  own  theological  beliefs.  For 
instance,  a  medium  who  believed  in  the  natural  immortality 
of  the  soul,  was  always  led  around  on  her  celestial  travels  by 
some  of  her  dead  and  departed  friends.  One  day  she  changed 
her  religious  views  —  became  a  soul  sleeper,  and  ever  after  that, 
when  having  trances,  she  was  piloted  about  from  world  to 
world  on  her  numerous  heavenly  trips  by  the  angels;  no  dead 
or  departed  friends  ever  made  their  appearance  in  any  of  her 
visions  after  this  change  in  her  belief. 

Nearly  all  these  victims  of  trances  and  nervous  catalepsy, 
sooner  or  later  come  to  believe  themselves  to  be  messengers  of 
God  and  prophets  of  Heaven;  and  no  doubt  most  of  them  are 
sincere  in  this  belief.  Not  understanding  the  physiology  and 
psychology  of  their  afflictions,  they  sincerely  come  to  look 
upon  their  peculiar  mental  experiences  as  something  super- 
natural, while  their  followers  blindly  believe  anything  they 
teach  because  of  the  supposed  divine  character  of  these  so- 
called  revelations. 


462      THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

AUTOMATIC   WRITING   AND  TALKING 

As  close  of  kin  to  trances  and  so-called  visions  should  be 
mentioned  the  practices  of  automatic  writing  and  speaking. 
The  study  of  multiple  personality  has  shed  much  light  on  the 
psychology  of  automatic  writing.  When  practising  it  the  pa- 
tient may  appear  to  be  in  his  usual  state;  in  fact,  he  may  be 
conversing  with  some  one  in  a  perfectly  normal  and  natural 
manner,  when,  if  a  pencil  is  placed  in  his  hand,  he  will  begin 
to  write  continuously,  writing  long  essays  which  are  carefully 
composed,  logically  arranged,  and  sometimes  extraordinarily 
fine  in  rhetorical  expression;  and  all  this  is  accomplished  while 
the  central  consciousness  is  entirely  ignorant  and  unconscious 
of  everything  that  is  going  on. 

This  automatic  writing  is  in  no  essential  different  from  the 
experiences  of  crystal-gazing,  shell-hearing,  and  hypnosis.  In 
automatic  writing  the  activities  of  the  marginal  consciousness 
are  projected  outward  along  the  motor  line  of  writing.  In 
this  case  the  subconscious  activities  are  not  sensory;  the  pri- 
mary cause  rests  neither  in  auditory  nor  visual  sensation,  as 
in  shell-hearing  and  crystal  vision,  but  in  sensations  of  touch 
and  movement  —  they  are  entirely  motor.  The  central  con- 
sciousness does  not  become  aware  of  what  is  going  on  in  the 
marginal  consciousness  until  it  sees  the  thoughts  expressed  by 
means  of  the  words  automatically  written.  It  will  be  apparent 
that  to  the  central  consciousness  these  messages  would  indeed 
appear  as  coming  from  another  world;  and  so  many  a  psy- 
chically unbalanced  person,  who  has  been  exercised  by  auto- 
matic writing,  has  been  led  in  this  way  verily  to  suppose  that 
these  written  messages  were  from  the  dead,  or  from  the  spirits 
inhabitating  other   planets. 

The  phenomenon  of  automatic  speaking  occurs  in  the  same 
way.  It  is  another  case  of  a  motor  expression  of  psychic  pro- 
jection. This  time  the  subject  is  concerned  with  spoken  words, 
instead  of  written  words.  The  speaking  may  take  the  form  of 
meaningless  syllables,  which  may  sound  like  a  new  tongue,  or 
the  language  may  be  entirely  intelligible  and  logical.  These 
cases,  several  of  which  the  author  had  the  opportunity  of  fully 
examining  a  few  years  ago,  are  illustrations  of  those  peculiar 


FIG.  40.    CRYSTAL  GAZING  AND  5HELL  HEARING 


FIG.  41.    TRANCE    AND     CATALEPSY 


PSYCHIC  FADS  AND  FAKES  463 

and  unusual  automatic  talking  performances  which  come  to 
be  regarded  as  the  miraculous  gift  of  tongues;  and  every  sylla- 
ble of  their  jargon  is  reverently  listened  to  by  their  followers, 
who  regard  these  mysterious  utterances  with  awe,  as  messages 
from  another  world. 

TELEPATHY   AND    MAGNETIC   HEALING 

Telepathy  is  supposed  to  be  the  psychic  ability  to  send  and  to 
receive  messages  independent  of  the  ordinary  organs  of  sense. 
That  is,  one  is  supposed  to  think  a  thought  and  then  telepath  it 
across  a  room  or  across  a  city  to  another  person,  who  is  sup- 
posed to  be  in  harmony  —  en  rapport  —  with  the  mind  of  the 
sender.  Telepathy  is  based  upon  certain  assumed  laws  of 
intercommunication  between  human  minds,  and  serves  to  keep 
alive  the  witchcraft  delusions  of  former  times.  It  also  serves 
as  the  basis  for  the  present-day  belief  in  absent  treatments  and 
malicious  animal  magnetism.  We  may  emphatically  state  that 
there  exists  no  scientific  proof  of  mental  telepathy.  Its  ex- 
istence is  an  unfounded  assumption.  What  in  many  cases  seems 
to  be  telepathy  is  due  to  physical  means  of  communication 
which  escape  the  attention  of  the  ordinary  observer. 

There  are  cases  on  record  in  which  the  same  thoughts  have 
been  thought  at  the  same  time  by  two  individuals  in  different 
parts  of  the  world.  Numerous  tests  have  been  made  in  which 
one  person  has  been  able  correctly  to  describe  the  thoughts  and 
words  of  another  person  on  the  opposite  side  of  a  room,  and 
of  a  large  city.  But  why  is  it  necessary  to  resort  to  the  hypoth- 
esis of  mental  telepathy  to  explain  such  phenomena?  The 
investigation  of  a  few  cases  of  so-called  telepathy  suggests  an 
illuminating,  clear-cut,  explanatory  hypothesis.  Two  Danish 
investigators,  Hanses  and  Lehmann,  while  experimenting  with 
two  men  who  apparently  possessed  the  power  to  communicate 
thought  across  a  room  without  the  use  of  words  or  other  signs, 
discovered  that  when  the  "  thinker  "  and  the  "  guesser  "  were 
placed  at  the  foci  of  two  sound  mirrors,  the  latter  decidedly 
increased  the  number  of  right  guesses  as  to  the  thought  of  the 
former.  This  obviously  means  that  there  was  a  physical  com- 
munication between  the  two  men,  otherwise  the  sound  shields 
could  not  have  effected  the  result  at  all.     It  must  have  been 


464      THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

through  waves  of  air  —  the  very  means  by  which  our  ears  are 
ordinarily  stimulated.  As  the  "  thinker  "  kept  his  mind  on  his 
part  of  the  performance  he  was  unconsciously  in  the  act  of 
saying  the  words  under  his  breath,  just  as  many  an  auditor  in 
a  concert  does  —  and  then  goes  home  with  a  tired  throat,,  be- 
cause he  has  been  incipiently  singing  all  the  evening.  These  fine 
under  the  breath  movements  set  the  air  in  motion  and  another 
may  actually  hear,  as  did  the  man  in  the  experiment  just  re- 
ferred to.  This  is  not  impossible,  especially  in  view  of  the  fact 
that  many  —  for  instance,  some  who  are  of  hysterical  disposi- 
tion —  have  remarkably  sensitive  ears.  On  such  a  ground  as 
this,  many  cases  of  so-called  telepathy  may  be  explained,  and 
it  affords  a  hypothesis  on  which  many  more  cases  may,  in  the 
future,  be  accounted  for. 

No  doubt  many  illustrations  of  so-called  telepathy  are  merely 
coincidences.  It  would  be  very  remarkable,  indeed,  if  no  such 
coincidences  should  ever  occur.  I  am  far  from  believing,  how- 
ever, that  this  offers  anything  like  a  general  principle  which 
can  clear  up  the  whole  problem.  One  must  remember,  too,  that 
the  fallibility  of  memory  may  lead  to  the  description  of  coinci- 
dences which  never  actually  occurred.  Likewise  it  may  lead 
to  a  judgment  of  agreement  between  the  thought  of  the  "  re- 
ceiver "  and  that  of  the  "  transmitter,"  when  no  such  agreement, 
as  a  matter  of  fact,  exists. 

All  intelligent  beings  recognize  the  existence  of  gravitation  — 
that  universal  law  of  cohesion  which  holds  all  things  together. 
If  a  new  world  should  be  created  in  the  universe,  untold  bil- 
lions of  miles  away  —  so  far  that  hundreds  of  years  would 
pass  before  its  light  would  reach  our  earth  —  the  moment  such 
a  new  planet  was  born,  our  world  would  feel  its  pull  of 
gravity.  Gravitation  is  an  omnipresent  force  acting  independ- 
ent of  time  and  space;  and  even  if  we  were  not  confronted 
with  the  universal  religious  teaching  of  a  Great  Spirit,  we 
would  suspect  that  there  existed  an  all-pervading  and  universal 
spiritual  intelligence,  by  the  suggestion  of  analogy  from  the 
well-known  force  of  gravitation. 

This  plausible  hypothesis  of  a  Universal  Mind  completely 
does   away  with   the   assumption   of   the   transfer   of  thought 


PSYCHIC  FADS  AND  FAKES  465 

from  one  finite  mind  to  another.  There  is  a  Universal  Intelli- 
gence whose  emanations  radiate  to  all  who  are  in  harmony  with 
the  Divine  Mind.  Every  soul  who  is  "  in  tune  with  the  In- 
finite "  enjoys  the  possibility  of  receiving  messages  and 
inspirations  from  the  Holy  Spirit.  If  this  is  true,  it  is  not  dif- 
ficult to  see  that  two  minds  may  have  the  same  thought  at 
the  same  time,  just  as  two  wireless  telegraph  stations  which 
are  attuned  alike  may  receive,  at  the  same  time,  the  same 
message,  which  has  been  flashed  from  a  vessel  many  miles  from 
each  station.  Many  good  people  adhere  to  this  view  and  de- 
rive comfort  therefrom.  Their  own  intimate  experiences,  they 
affirm,  supply  testimony  in  its  favor. 

Even  the  American  Indian  had  in  his  religion  the  "  Great 
Spirit."  All  modern  religions  recognize  the  presence  of  a 
universal  spirit.  It  is  a  cardinal  thought  of  Christianity  that 
God  should  pour  out  His  "  Spirit  upon  all  flesh."  Jesus  told 
His  followers  before  His  death  —  before  He  departed,  that  He 
would  send  them  the  "  Comforter,"  the  "  Holy  Ghost,"  who 
would  teach  and  guide  them  "  into  all  truth." 

The  author  is  not  disposed  to  follow  the  deceptive  and  illogi- 
cal reasoning  of  the  telepathist  in  order  to  find  an  explanation 
of  these  common  experiences  of  thought  harmony  and  identity. 
We  are  rather  disposed  to  accept  the  equivalent  of  the  Christian 
doctrine  of  the  omnipresent  Spiritual  Mind,  the  doctrine  of  the 
Great  Spiritual  Teacher,  as  a  basis  for  the  phenomena  de- 
scribed under  the  title  of  telepathy. 

If  such  phenomena  find  their  explanation  either  in.  the  doc- 
trine of  the  Universal  Mind  or  in  any  other  doctrine  which 
assumes  the  activity  of  spiritual  forces  in  their  production, 
they,  of  course,  lie  outside  the  realm  of  physical  science  and 
in  that  of  personal  religious  belief;  they  are  problems  in  spir- 
itual  science. 

Magnetic  healing  is  largely  a  matter  of  mental  suggestion. 
Persons  who  are  supposed  to  be  magnetic  healers  are  found 
upon  experimental  test  to  possess  no  stronger  electrical  reaction 
than  common,  ordinary  people.  Magnetic  healing  is  like 
palmistry  and  clairvoyance ;  it  is  simply  a  name  and  a  scheme 
to  secure  patients  and  their  money. 


466      THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

SPIRITUALISM 

Like  mental  telepathy,  spiritualism  is  not  a  matter  which  can 
be  adjudged  in  the  experimental  laboratory.  Recent  investiga- 
tions have  convinced  the  author  that  nins-tenths  of  all  so-called 
spiritualistic  phenomena  are  purely  fraudulent,  sheer  chicanery 
and  trickery ;  but  we  are  equally  willing  to  admit  that  in  certain 
rare  cases  real  phenomena  are  produced  in  the  name  of  spirit- 
ualism, which  are  not  of  a  fraudulent  nature.  These  spiritual- 
istic manifestations  we  regard  as  beyond  the  pale  of  scientific 
investigation.  They  are  problems  in  theology  and  spiritual 
science.  They  are  problems  whose  solutions  lie  beyond  the 
borders  of  empirical  science.  Our  discussions  of  physiological 
psychology  do  not  refer  to  them.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that 
many  of  these  spiritualistic  mediums  are  deluded,  and  more  or 
less  unable  to  understand  their  own  performances.  They  are 
often  greatly  influenced  by  suggestion;  as  in  the  case  of  a 
person  who  asks  for  communication  with  a  dead  brother,  when 
he  has  no  dead  brother,  and  yet  he  receives  from  the  medium 
long  messages,  supposed  to  come  from  the  imaginary  brother. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  minds  of  many  so-called  me- 
diums are  striking  illustrations  of  that  dissociation  among 
groups  of  conscious  processes  which  was  previously  discussed 
in  connection  with  double  personality,  and  hysteria  in  general. 
In  as  far  as  this  is  the  case,  one  must  in  fairness  admit  that 
such  a  medium  is  not  fundamentally  (I  mean  morally)  a  fraud, 
but  rather  the  subject  of  an  elusive  functional  nervous  dis- 
order, and  at  the  same  time,  clever  enough  to  capitalize  the 
disorder  and  make  it  provide  the  necessaries  of  life.  In  what- 
ever instances  this  is  the  case,  the, so-called  messages  from  the 
dead  are  made  up  of  the  more  or  less  coherent  trains  of  ideas 
that  troop  in  from  the  marginal  consciousness  in  response  to 
those  suggested  ideas  which  come  into  the  medium's  attention 
when  he  or  she  is  in  a  state  of  semi  or  complete  trance.  To 
whatever  extent  this  represents  the  nature  of  mediumship,  it, 
together  with  so-called  spirit  messages,  admits  of  scientific 
psychologic  investigation. 

It  must  be  said  at  this  juncture,  however,  that  there  are 
many  men  of  science  in  good  repute  who  believe  that  the  whole 


PSYCHIC  FADS  AND  FAKES  467 

problem  of  spiritualistic  phenomena  cannot  be  fought  out  on 
this  line;  that  there  is  a  residue  that  cannot  be  approached  by 
means  of  scientific  experiment.  It  seems  highly  probable  that 
the  ultimate  problems  involved  in  the  solution  of  the  phenomena 
of  spiritualism  will  have  to  be  referred  to  the  theological  courts. 

The  readers  of  this  book  are  no  doubt  familiar  with  the  Bibli- 
cal standard  by  which  these  phenomena  are  measured.  According 
thereto,  they  are  disreputable,  owing  to  their  source  in  and  con- 
nection with  evil  spirits.  Consequently,  we  have  the  scriptural 
denunciation  of  the  practice  of  seeking  information  from  the 
dead  and  the  exhortation  to  make  our  appeal  to  the  Living  God. 

The  author  of  this  book  is  personally  inclined  to  accept  the 
Biblical  diagnosis,  and  urges  again,  as  he  repeatedly  does  in  this 
volume,  that  his  readers  adopt  the  attitude  of  faith  in  their  own 
better  selves  and  in  the  Supreme  Being.  This,  he  believes,  is  the 
key  which,  together  with  a  rational  use  of  material  means,  will 
unlock  the  mysteries  of  the  present  and  the  future.  From  his 
personal  experiences  with  spiritualistic  mediums,  he  thinks  that 
we  have  in  them  themselves  about  the  strongest  imaginable 
empirical  evidence  pointing  to  the  existence  of  those  spiritual 
powers  which  are  by  nature  liars  and  deceivers.  We  feel  con- 
fident that  the  phenomena  of  spiritualism  will  never  be  settled 
by  so-called  scientific  investigation  and  laboratory  experi- 
mentation. 

DOWIEISM   AND  DEMONOLOGY 

Of  all  modern  healing  cults  which  confuse  and  confound 
sickness  and  sin,  and  claim  to  heal  all  disease  by  means  of 
prayer,  Dowieism  stands  out  as  the  most  recent  and  best  known. 
Its  basic  error  consists  in  regarding  sickness  and  sin  as  analo- 
gous, and,  therefore,  if  God  will  forgive  sin  in  answer  to  prayer, 
why  will  He  not  also  cure  sickness  in  answer  to  prayer?  But 
sin  and  sickness  are  not  analogous.  You  can  be  forgiven  for 
sowing  thorns  and  thistles  in  your  backyard,  but  that  does  not 
remove  the  thorns  and  thistles  after  you  have  allowed  them  to 
grow  up  It  will  take  hard  work  in  addition  to  prayer,  to  clear 
the  thorns  and  briers  out  of  the  backyard. 

The  secret  of  the  success  of  these  bogus  systems  of  divine 
healing,  as  noted  in  former  chapters,  is  the  power  of  sugges- 


468      THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

tion  —  nothing  more,  and  nothing  less.  The  future  will  no 
doubt  witness  the  birth  of  many  new  systems  of  so-called  faith 
healing.  They  are  all  based  upon  the  psychology  and  physiology 
of  faith  and  fear,  as  well  as  upon  the  error  that  when  one  is 
sick,  his  body  is  possessed  of  a  devil,  and  if  the  devil  could  only 
be  cast  out,  the  sick  one  would  immediately  be  restored  to 
health. 

NEW    THOUGHT    AND    MENTAL    SCIENCE 

It  is  difficult  to  ascertain  exactly  what  New  Thought  or 
the  new  so-called  Mental  Science  embraces.  But  the  author 
is  decidedly  averse  to  taking  an  old  truth,  burnishing  it  up, 
clothing  it  with  the  garb  of  modern  thought  and  language,  and 
then  presenting  it  to  the  world  as  a  new  thought,  a  new  religion, 
or  a  new  cult.  We  have  shown  throughout  this  text  that  all  the 
fundamental  principles  of  modern  psychotherapy,  respecting 
suggestion,  etc.,  were  in  some  measure  known  and  practised  by 
the  ancients;  in  fact,  they  are  found  throughout  the  Bible. 
What  right,  what  justice,  is  there,  in  taking  the  comforting 
and  reassuring  truths  of  Christianity,  and  seeking  to  make  a  new 
Religion  out  of  them?  What  business  have  professed  Chris- 
tians to  disfigure  and  discount  their  Gospel  in  order  to  facilitate 
the  establishment  of  these  psychic  creeds  and  cults?  Why 
should  we  have  healing  movements  organized  within  the  Chris- 
tian Church,  when  the  whole  Church,  if  the  author  under- 
stands anything  of  the  Master's  commission,  was  instituted 
to  go  out  into  the  world  with  a  healing  message  for  spirit,  soul, 
and  body? 

It  seems  to  us  that  scientists  have  largely  forgotten  their 
psychology  and  psychotherapy;  while  religionists  are  com- 
paratively blind  to  the  healing  power  and  comforting  possi- 
bilities of  the  Christian  message.  In  the  presence  of  this 
combined  weakness  and  impotency  of  both  science  and  religion, 
the  common  people  have  become  the  helpless  prey  of  a  score 
of  mental-science  cults  and  "  isms,"  which  have  borrowed  the 
thunder  of  science,  and  stolen  the  chariots  of  Christianity,  in 
which  to  aggrandize  themselves  and  establish  their  new  reli- 
gions. The  time  has  come  to  call  a  halt.  In  the  author's  opinion, 
the  plain,  everyday  science  of  physiological  psychology,  such 


PSYCHIC  FADS  AND  FAKES  469 

as  we  have  endeavored  to  outline  in  this  text,  constitutes  a 
sufficient  scientific  and  material  foundation;  while  the  simple 
and  time-honored  teachings  of  Jesus  Christ  furnish  the  moral 
background  and  spiritual  foundation  for  all  that  is  needed  to 
construct  the  most  efficient,  helpful,  and  simple  psychothera- 
peutic procedures  for  the  relief  of  human  sorrow  and  suffering. 
It  is  not  New  Thought  that  the  world  stands  in  need  of,  as 
far  as  the  moral  philosophy  of  healing  is  concerned.  It  is 
rather  old  thought,  thought  at  least  two  thousand  years  old; 
the  thought  of  the  Great  Physician  —  the  Son  of  Man,  called 
also  the  Son  of  God  —  that  is  most  needed  to-day.  To  see 
that  this  is  so,  the  reader  needs  only  to  peruse  again  the 
chapter,  "  The  Bible  on  Faith  and  Fear." 

HYPNOTISM     AND    MESMERISM 

From  time  to  time  mention  has  been  made  of  hypnotism.  Its 
position  in  the  psychotherapeutic  system  has  been  discussed, 
but  it  will  now  be  in  place  briefly  to  inquire  into  the  philosophy 
underlying  this  practice.  Hypnotism  may  consist  of  the  hyp- 
noidal  state,  in  which  the  patient  is  really  awake  but  in  a  pas- 
sive state  of  mind,  ready  to  receive  the  suggestion  and 
teachings  of  the  healer;  on  down  through  increasing  passivity 
to  a  profound  state  of  hypnosis,  in  which  the  patient  is  oblivious 
of  his  surroundings  and  under  comparatively  full  control  of  the 
hypnotizer.  It  will  be  evident  from  the  study  of  preceding 
chapters  that  the  author  sees  very  little  place  in  the  practice 
of  psychotherapy  for  hypnotism.  There  is  no  good  to  be  ac- 
complished at  all  by  hypnotism  which  cannot  be  better  ac- 
complished by  other  efficient  procedures. 

Hypnotism  is  basically  wrong,  as  a  method  of  strengthening 
the  intellect  and  educating  the  will,  in  that  it  leads  its  victims 
to  depend  more  and  more  upon  the  hypnotic  operator.  Hyp- 
nosis is  certainly  not  a  natural  state  of  mind;  it  is  highly 
artificial  and  unnatural.  Some  authorities  have  endeavored  to 
show  that  hypnotic  sleep  was  analogous  to  natural  sleep,  but 
this  is  certainly  a  mistake.  The  hypnotic  state  may  in  some 
respects  resemble  the  somnambulistic  state,  but  somnambulism 
is  not  a  state  of  natural  and  normal  sleep. 

We  believe  that  human  beings  are  free  moral  agents,  kings 


470      THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

and  queens  in  their  own  domains,  and  that  the  Creator  never 
intended  that  our  minds  should  submit  to  be  dominated  by,  be 
dictated  to,  or  be  controlled  by  any  mind  in  the  universe  except 
that  of  man's  Maker.  Hypnotism  necessitates  the  surrender 
of  the  mind  and  will  in  a  peculiar  way  to  the  influence  of  an- 
other personality;  and  we  regard  these  procedures  as  unscien- 
tific and  un-Christian,  and  in  the  highest  degree  subversive  of 
individual  strength  and  stamina  of  character. 

The  Almighty  who  gave  existence  to  the  human  mind,  never 
compels  man  to  surrender  or  submit  to  anything  against  his 
own  individual  will,  not  even  to  the  influence  of  the  Divine 
Mind.  God  seems  to  possess  such  a  respect  for  the  will  of  man 
that  He  is  more  willing  that  man  should  do  wrong  (sin  and 
have  his  own  way),  than  do  right  (God's  way)  by  coercion  or 
compulsion. 

Hypnotism  possesses  that  peculiar  fascination  that  is  found 
in  connection  with  all  the  procedures  of  mystical  occult  teach- 
ing. These  psychical  superstitions  are  very  much  like  a  set  of 
powerful  cog-wheels  in  action:  when  the  fingers  are  caught  in 
the  wheels,  they  never  stop  until  they  have  drawn  the  whole 
body  in. 

Hypnotism  operates  to  produce  a  dissociation  between  the 
higher  reasoning  centres  of  the  mind  (the  central  conscious- 
ness) and  the  lower  and  automatic  centres  (the  marginal  con- 
sciousness). 

Mesmerism  is  the  old-fashioned  method  of  inducing  hypnosis, 
by  making  physical  contact  with  the  patient.  Modern  hypno- 
tism is  usually  practised  without  this  physical  contact.  All 
leading  physicians  throughout  the  world  now  recognize  hypno- 
tism as  an  exceedingly  dangerous  two-edged  therapeutic  sword. 
They  recognize  that  the  frequent  repetition  of  hypnotic  pro- 
cedures not  infrequently  leads  to  insanity.  There  is  little  doubt 
in  the  author's  mind  that  some  of  the  methods  of  treatment 
carried  on  in  connection  with  the  Emmanuel  Movement  are 
either  conscious  or  unconscious  forms  of  hypnotism,  at  least 
the  operators  certainly  put  their  patients  frequently  into  the 
hypnoidal  state.  This  is  the  one  unfortunate  thing  connected 
with  the  Emmanuel   Movement.     And  this  is  to  be  regretted. 


PSYCHIC  FADS  AND  FAKES  471 

since  it  is  wholly  unnecessary  that  the  originators  of  this  move- 
ment should  have  chosen  to  use  procedures  which  are  so  close 
akin  to  the  practice  of  hypnotism.  In  the  end  their  entire 
system  would  have  been  more  efficacious,  had  these  practices 
been  eliminated. 

We  feel  impelled  especially  to  condemn  the  public  exhibitions 
carried  on  by  professional  hypnotists.  The  authorities  should 
speedily  bring  these  demonstrations  to  an  end.  They  are  highly 
debasing  and  demoralizing. 

CHRISTIAN    SCIENCE 

Christian  Science  is  the  most  notable  of  all  the  modern  cults, 
in  which  a  single  idea  has  been  effectively  organized  into  a 
religious  propaganda.  Mrs.  Eddy  in  her  teachings  made  doubly 
sure  that  her  followers  were  delivered  from  the  realms  of  im- 
aginary disease,  by  denying  the  existence  and  reality  of  all 
diseases.  We  have  explained  in  former  chapters  the  psychology 
and  physiology  upon  which  this  system  of  teaching,  in  common 
with  all  similar  methods  of  healing,  operates.  Thousands  of 
people  believe  in  so-called  Christian  Science,  not  because  they 
understand  it  or  accept  all  its  teachings,  but  because,  in  the 
absence  of  any  better  teaching,  they  were  literally  driven  to  it 
in  an  effort  to  find  the  peace  and  happiness  which  come  as  a 
result  of  deliverance  from  fear.  Christian  Science  and  its 
philosophy  are  certainly  not  upheld  by  the  conclusions  of  mod- 
ern science;  and  as  far  as  the  author  has  been  able  to  discern, 
Christ  never  on  any  occasion  required  His  followers  to  de- 
throne their  reason  and  believe  in  His  formulas  and  teachings 
in  a  blind  and  unreasoning  manner. 

Christian  Science  seems  to  be  the  emphasis  of  the  denial 
element  in  psychotherapy.  They  deny  the  existence  of  those 
influences  which  they  are  desirous  of  evading  or  avoiding. 
Christian  Scientists  think  of  health  and  happiness  as  the  nat- 
ural heritage  of  man,  and,  believing  this  to  be  true,  they  lay 
hold  of  these  influences  as  their  normal  mode  of  life,  and  have 
probably  experienced  them  more  than  any  other  body  of  pro- 
fessed Christians  in  the  world. 

It  is  certainly  a  sad  commentary  upon  the  orthodox  teachings 
of  professed  Christians,  who  claim  to  follow  the  teachings  of 


472       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

Jesus,  to  contrast  the  downcast  and  discouraged  attitude  of 
most  church  members  with  the  good  cheer  and  happiness  which 
the  average  Christian  Scientist  enjoys,  in  spite  of  the  confus- 
ing teachings  of  their  system.  It  is  certainly  greatly  to  the 
credit  of  Christian  Scientists  that  they  have  got  what  health 
and  happiness  they  have  out  of  the  truth  at  their  disposal,  and 
their  success  certainly  constitutes  a  stunning  rebuke  to  the 
modern  teachers  and  exponents  of  Christianity. 

We  present  the  following  summary  of  the  methods  of  opera- 
tion whereby  Christian  Science  and  other  popular  systems  of 
mind  cure  effect  their  apparently  wonderful  healings  and  cre- 
ate their  large,  enthusiastic  following: 

1.  They  are  a  powerful  popular  protest  against  modern  ma- 
terialism and  rationalism. 

2.  These  psychic  systems  of  healing  are  an  unconscious 
protest  against  wholesale  drug-medication  and  other  unnatural 
and  irrational  methods  of  treating  disease. 

3.  Christian  Science  and  kindred  cults  are  easy  to  believe: 
they  involve  but  little  self-sacrifice  or  personal  humiliation. 

fjLj^jiL^^*4f^p!hG^st  new  psychic  cults  are  pleasant  to  the  natural  man, 
||in  mat  they  deny  or  ignore  the  orthodox  doctrines  of  sin,  and 
\       Uexalt  erring  man  to  the  place  of  a  god. 

5.  Christian  Science  and  allied  cults  are  new  and  therefore 
entertaining;  they  are  more  or  less  mysterious  and  therefore 
fascinating;  and  this  latter  property  they  will  undoubtedly  ever 
retain.  Their  teachings  are  unquestionably  unfathomable  — 
they  will  always  be  surrounded  by  the  aroma  of  mystery. 

6.  All  their  psychic  teachings  afford  immediate  deliverance 
from  an  accusing  conscience. 

7.  Christian  Science  prospers  because  it  eliminates  worry, 
notwithstanding  the  fact  that  its  philosophy  is  unscientific. 

8.  These  occult  teachings  chloroform  the  judgment  and  rea- 
son. They  are  systems  of  blind  belief,  and  involve  the 
unconditional  surrender  of  the  mind  to  the  thing  believed. 

9.  Christian  Science  represents  the  uplifting  power  of  faith 
and  strong  resolution.  This  only  goes  to  show  the  powerful 
influence  of  the  mind  over  the  body  when  thoroughly  dedicated 
to  a  single  idea,  even  though  that  idea  be  essentially  wrong. 


PSYCHIC  FADS  AND  FAKES  473 

10.  It  is  a  species  of  mental  deception  which  the  believer 
can  be  taught  to  practise  upon  himself;  and  the  very  deceptive- 
ness  of  it  constitutes  both  its  charm  and  its  compelling  power 
over  those  who  surrender  to  it. 

11.  Last,  but  not  least,  many  of  these  systems  of  healing, 
including  Christian  Science,  have  gone  on  in  the  world  in  spite 
of  their  error,  because  they  do  contain  a  grain  of  truth  not 
generally  recognized  by  either  scientists  or  religionists,  and 
that  is  —  the  influence  of  mind  over  matter. 

REASON   versus   SOPHISTRY 

Having  in  the  last  few  chapters  systematically  discussed  the 
methods  of  modern  psychotherapy,  we  desire  here  to  lay  special 
emphasis  upon  the  wisdom  of  dealing  honestly  and  squarely 
with  all  persons  suffering  from  psychic  disorders.  We  believe 
that  the  future  of  psychotherapy  lies  along  the  line  of  appeal- 
ing to  the  patient's  reason  (true  and  honest  suggestion),  of 
strengthening  the  patient's  will-power  (consistent  reeducation), 
as  well  as  in  the  direction  of  psycho-analysis  —  the  laying  of 
the  full  facts  before  the  patient  and,  having  secured  his  co- 
operation, sympathetically  assisting  him  to  fight  his  battle  out 
to  a  successful  issue ;  standing  by  him  until  he  has  achieved  the 
victory  and  is  master  of  himself. 

SUMMARY   OF   THE   CHAPTER 

1.  All  through  the  ages  sharp  and  unscrupulous  persons  have 
deceived  and  imposed  upon  the  credulous  and  unsuspecting. 
It  is  to  be  deplored  that  in  the  twentieth  century  people  are 
still  devoted  to  charms,  relics,  and  shrines. 

2.  Quack  doctors  and  famous  patent  medicines  owe  their 
reputation  and  popularity  either  to  alcohol  and  other  deceptive 
habit-forming  drugs,  or  to  the  power  and  possibilities  of 
suggestion. 

3.  Astrology,  palmistry,  and  phrenology  are  psychic  fakes 
and  therapeutic  deceptions.  Phrenology  tells  very  little  about 
what  you  have  been  or  what  you  are  capable  of  being;  its  an- 
swer is  necessarily  in  the  rough. 

4.  Clairvoyance  and  fortune-telling  are  ingenious  psychic 
fads.  Clairvoyance,  when  not  pure  fakery,  is  a  prostitution  of 
that  wonderful  gift  of  discerning  spirits  —  character-reading. 
Fortune-telling  is  pure  humbuggery. 


474       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

5.  Crystal-gazing  and  shell-hearing  represent  a  species  of 
self-deception  which  certain  nervous  persons  practise  upon 
themselves.  These  phenomena  are  due  to  the  outward  pro- 
jection  of   images   and   sounds. 

6.  In  trances  and  the  cataleptic  state,  consciousness  seems  to 
be  pushed  far  out  toward  the  periphery.  It  is  at  a  dead  level 
of  intensity  all  over  the  field.  Trance  mediums  always  see 
visions  in  harmony  with  their  own  theological  views.  Many 
victims  of  trance  visions  come  sincerely  to  believe  that  their 
experiences  are  divine  revelations. 

7.  Automatic  writing  and  speaking  are  due  to  psychic  re- 
version. Touch  and  motor  sensations  are  the  suggesting 
causes.  These  are  projected  outward  as  in  the  other  cases 
auditory  and  visual  sensations  are.  They  do  not,  however,  en- 
ter into  the  focus  of  attention;  that  is,  into  the  central  con- 
sciousness, and  so  appear  as  messages  from  another  world,  or  as 
an  unknown  tongue. 

8.  Strictly  speaking,  the  reality  of  telepathic  power  is  an  un- 
founded assumption.  The  so-called  facts  of  telepathy  may  be 
explained  by  analogy  with  familiar  modes  of  communication, 
on  the  ground  of  coincidence,  or  in  harmony  with  the  general 
belief  in  the  existence  of  a  Universal  Mind. 

9.  Spiritualism  is  nine-tenths  trickery.  Only  rarely  are  its 
phenomena  genuine.  Spiritualism  cannot  be  adjudged  in  the 
experimental  laboratory;  it  must  be  referred  to  the  theological 
courts.  The  practice  of  seeking  information  from  the  dead  is 
condemned  in  the  Scriptures. 

10.  Dowieism  and  similar  so-called  faith  cures  are  based  on 
the  assumption  that  sin  and  sickness  are  analogous ;  sin  is  cured 
by  prayer  —  why  not  sickness?  Sin  is  a  cause;  sickness  an 
effect;  causes  may  be  cured  by  prayer;  effects  usually  demand 
material  cooperation  for  their  removal. 

11.  So-called  New  Thought  and  Mental  Science,  as  far  as 
suggestion  is  concerned,  are  as  old  as  the  hills.  Why  should 
the  psychic  truths  and  comforting  possibilities  of  Christ's 
teachings  be  torn  from  His  Gospel  and  set  up  as  a  new  religion 
—  as  a  "  New  Thought  "  or  some  other  cult  or  ism  ? 

12.  Hypnotism  is  an  unnatural,  abnormal,  and  exceedingly 


PSYCHIC  FADS  AND  FAKES  475 

dangerous  procedure.  No  good  can  ordinarily  be  accomplished 
by  hypnosis  which  cannot  be  more  beneficially  effected  by 
other  methods.  Hypnotic  sleep  is  not  a  natural  sleep.  Hypno- 
sis is  produced  by  a  dissociation  between  the  central  and  mar- 
ginal consciousnesses, 

13.  Christian  Science  emphasizes  the  denial  element  of  psy- 
chotherapy. In  order  to  be  rid  of  false  disease,  it  denies  the 
real  as  well.  The  success  of  Christian  Science  constitutes  a 
stunning  rebuke  to  the  modern  teachers  and  exponents  of 
Christianity. 

14.  True  psychotherapy  involves  the  employment  of  reason 
in  the  place  of  sophistry,  and  the  use  of  honest  suggestion  and 
sympathetic  reeducation,  instead  of  deception  and  dishonesty. 


t 


CHAPTER   XXXIX 

PRAYER  THE  MASTER  MIND  CURE 

The  psychology  of  prayer. —  The  physiology  of  prayer. — 
The  therapeutics  of  prayer. —  The  prayer  cure. —  The 
prostitution  of  prayer. —  Prayer  an  inspiration  to  work. 
—  Christianity  the  highest  psychotherapy. —  Religious 
worry  and  spiritual  grief. —  The  new  mind  in  the  old 
BODY. —  The  gospel  of  reckoning. —  Physical  righteous- 
ness an  aid  to  spiritual  living. —  Summary  of  the 
chapter. 

NO  discussion  of  applied  psychotherapy  would  be  complete 
without  the  consideration  of  prayer.  A  careful  study  of 
the  province  of  prayer  in  health  and  disease  has  convinced  the 
author  that  this  time-honored  practice  is  second  to  no  other  in 
its  power  to  influence  favorably  the  mental  state  and  to  lib- 
erate the  soul  from  its  bondage  of  fear,  doubt,  and  despondency. 
the  psychology  of  prayer 

True  prayer  is  a  sort  of  spiritual  communion  between  man 
and  his  Maker,  a  sympathetic  communication  between  the  soul 
and  its  Saviour.  We  do  not  look  upon  prayer  as  a  means  of 
changing  God's  will.  The  Divine  Mind  does  not  need  to  be 
changed ;  He  is  ever  beneficent  and  kindly  disposed  toward  man- 
kind. While  prayer  does  not  change  God,  it  certainly  does 
change  the  one  who  prays,  and  this  change  in  the  mind  of  the 
praying  soul  is  sometimes  immediate,  profound,  and  often 
wholly   inexplicable. 

True  prayer,  then,  is  found  to  be  a  practice  consisting  of 
powerful  mental,  moral,  and  spiritual  factors.  The  mental 
factor  in  genuine  prayer  is  that  of  suggestion  and  self-surren- 
der. Sincere  prayer  is  the  most  powerful  method  and  the  most 
legitimate  manner   in   which   suggestion   can  be   made   to  the 

476 


PRAYER  THE  MASTER  MIND  CURE  477 

human  mind.  Not  only  is  the  suggestion  of  prayer  auto- 
suggestion —  the  ideal  form  of  suggestion  —  but  this  suggestion 
is  made  to  the  mind  when  it  is  in  a  state  of  surrender,  uncondi- 
tional surrender  to  the  mind  of  God  and  not  to  the  mind  of  man. 
Psychology  and  psychotherapy  are  unable  to  portray  such  an 
ideal  state  of  the  human  mind  for  the  favorable  reception  of 
suggestion,  neither  can  they  point  out  such  powerful  and  whole- 
some means  of  administering  this  suggestion  as  by  the  simple 
childlike  practice  of  old-fashioned  prayer.     (See  Fig    42.) 

The  moral  element  of  prayer  is  that  it  keeps  the  mind  fo- 
cussed  upon  high  ideals,  upon  things  which  are  ennobling  and 
elevating.  Prayer,  in  an  unusual  manner,  imparts  moral  cour- 
age and  wholesome  confidence  to  the  suppliant.  Prayer  is  a 
direct  preventive  of  many  of  those  reprehensible  social  and 
moral  practices  which  inevitably  breed  worry,  remorse,  and 
sorrow  of  heart.  Prayer  strengthens  the  will,  in  contradistinc- 
tion to  hypnotism,  which  usually  weakens  it. 

The  spiritual  factor  in  prayer  is  strong;  no  other  phase  of 
human  experience  is  fraught  with  such  extraordinary  possibili- 
ties for  spiritual  strength  and  development.  Prayer  actually 
generates  moral  energy  and  creates  spiritual  courage.  The 
prayer  life  is  the  life  of  spiritual  power  and  moral  victory. 

THE   PHYSIOLOGY  OF   PRAYER 

The  domain  of  prayer  is  not  limited  alone  to  the  spiritual, 
moral,  and  mental  realms;  it  concerns  and  influences  even  the 
physical  body.  The  praying  soul  usually  is  found  upon  bended 
knees  and  with  bowed  head.  This  bending  of  the  physical 
knee  reflexly  aids  in  bending  the  will  and  the  mind  of  the  one 
who  prays.  There  is  a  close  interrelationship  between  the 
attitude  of  body  and  the  attitude  of  mind. 

We  recently  examined  a  nervous,  excited  patient  with  a 
rapid  heart,  irregular  pulse,  abnormal  breathing,  extreme  pallor 
of  the  face,  and  with  blood-pressure  of  160  mm.  After  ex- 
plaining to  the  patient  that  she  was  suffering  from  no  real  or 
organic  disease,  we  requested  her  to  retire  into  a  quiet,  dark- 
ened near-by  office  and  engage  in  prayer  for  ten  minutes;  she 
was  asked  earnestly  and  sincerely  to  pray  to  God  that  He  might 
help  her  and  deliver  her  from  her  state  of  nervous  agitation. 


478      THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

In  fifteen  minutes,  when  the  patient  returned,  her  pulse  was 
normal;  the  voice  had  acquired  a  new  tone  of  confidence;  the 
strength  and  expression  of  the  eye  —  yes,  of  the  whole  face  — 
had  completely  changed :  in  place  of  anxiety  and  dissatisfaction, 
there  now  appeared  an  expression  of  rest,  courage,  and  happi- 
ness; and  a  triumphant  smile  was  upon  the  face,  indicative  of 
the  assurance  of  victory.  The  blood-pressure  was  150  mm., 
and  within  thirty  minutes  it  descended  to  140  mm. 

Prayer  is  able,  directly,  immediately,  most  powerfully,  and 
most  favorably  to  influence  the  physical  functions  of  the  body; 
that  is,  genuine  prayer,  the  prayer  of  faith,  exerts  its  beneficent 
influence  upon  the  body,  while  other  kinds  of  prayer  may  be 
highly  injurious  to  the  physical  health,  as  will  be  noted  pres- 
ently. True  praying  assists  the  petitioner  in  gaining  control 
over  various  physical  propensities  and  animal  passions. 
Prayer  is  a  means  of  bringing  the  body  into  subjection  to  the 
mind,  and  the  mind  into  obedience  to  the  spiritual  faculties  and 
to  the  Divine  Mind. 

It  is  impossible  to  restrict  the  province  and  possibilities  of 
prayer  as  regards  its  influence  upon  the  human  mind  and  body. 
We  would  here  again  remind  the  reader  that  man  is  not  a  mere 
material  machine.  We  are  forced  to  recognize  that  the  human 
mind  and  body  are  regulated  by  certain  laws  which  we  are 
unable  fully  to  explain  on  the  material  grounds  of  physics  and 
chemistry. 

THE    THERAPEUTICS    OF    PRAYER 

Any  practice  that  can  wield  such  a  mighty  influence  over 
mind  and  body  as  that  exerted  by  prayer  must  indeed  possess 
tremendous  therapeutic  possibilities.  In  discussing  prayer  as  a 
therapeutic  agent,  we  in  no  way  aim  to  belittle  its  influence  as 
a  religious  practice  or  a  spiritual  force.  We  freely  concede 
that  its  power  is  almost  unlimited  in  these  realms.  In  his 
"  Varieties  of  Religious  Experience,"  Professor  James  says : 
*'  As  regards  prayer  for  the  sick,  if  any  medical  fact  can  be 
considered  to  stand  firm,  it  is  that  in  certain  environments, 
prayer  may  contribute  to  recovery,  and  should  be  encouraged 
as  a  therapeutic  measure." 

Another  scientific  authority.  Dr.   Hyslop,  Superintendent  of 


PRIVATE     PRAYER . 


FAMILY     PRAYERS 


FIG. 42.    THE  PRACTICE  OF  0LD-FA5hl0NED  PRAYER. 


c/ 


\ 


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ij>  '  >•  «1 


PRAYER  THE  MASTER  MIND  CURE  479 

the  Bethlehem  Royal  Hospital,  London,  in  speaking  of  prayer 
as  a  therapeutic  agent,  says :  "  As  an  alienist  and  one  whose 
life  has  been  concerned  with  the  sufferings  of  the  mind,  I 
would  state  that  of  all  hygienic  measures  to  counteract  dis- 
turbed sleep,  depressed  spirits,  and  all  the  miserable  sequels  of 
a  distressed  mind,  I  would  undoubtedly  give  the  first  place  to 
the  simple  habit  of  prayer.  Let  there  but  be  a  habit  of  nightly 
communion,  not  as  a  mendicant  or  repeater  of  words  more 
adapted  to  the  tongue  of  a  sage,  but  as  a  humble  individual  who 
submerges  or  asserts  his  individuality  as  an  integral  part  of  a 
greater  whole.  Such  a  habit  does  more  to  calm  the  spirit  and 
strengthen  the  soul  to  overcome  incidental  emotionalism  than 
any  other  therapeutic  agent  known  to  me." 

There  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  psychological  and  thera- 
peutic value  of  prayer  has  been  greatly  underestimated  by 
modern  reformers  and  psychotherapists.  A  number  of  years 
ago  we  saw  a  desolate,  forlorn,  and  downcast  woman,  the  most 
pitiable  creature  we  ever  looked  upon,  kneel  down  in  a  gospel 
mission  in  the  slums  of  Chicago,  and  after  sobbing  out :  "  God 
be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner,"  arise  from  her  knees.  From  that 
day  to  the  day  of  her  death,  some  five  years  afterwards,  this 
regenerated  woman  led  a  consistent,  pure,  and  wholesome  life. 
Now,  we  freely  grant  that  spiritual  forces  were  at  work  in  this 
woman's  soul.  Such  an  experience  as  hers  must  indeed  be 
what  the  theologians  describe  as  the  "  new  birth,"  for  the  prac- 
tical changes  in  her  life  did  clearly  show  that  she  had  literally 
been  "  born  again."  The  things  she  once  loved  she  now  hated, 
and  the  things  she  formerly  hated  she  now  loved.  The  trans- 
formation of  character  seemed  to  be  absolute  and  complete. 

The  author  has  seen  scores  of  cases,  and  our  readers  have 
no  doubt  experienced  it  in  their  own  lives,  where  prayer,  in  a 
moment  of  time,  has  wrought  just  such  marvellous  physical 
and  spiritual  changes  in  the  life.  All  physicians  who  have 
largely  to  do  with  mental  disorders  and  nervous  diseases  are 
coming  to  appreciate  more  and  more  the  therapeutic  value  of 
simple  and  earnest  prayer. 

In  the  case  of  those  who  are  so  distracted  and  so  nervous 
that  they  cannot  formulate  their  prayer  into  words,  who  are 


48o       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

unable  to  express  their  prayerful  desires,  it  is  often  necessary 
that  their  mental  minister  should  place  in  their  hands  some 
inspiring  and  uplifting  form  of  short  prayer,  which  may  guide 
them  into  the  praying  habit  until  such  a  time  as  their  soul  can 
come  to  express  itself  spontaneously. 

THE    PRAYER   CURE 

Recently,  in  the  clinic,  we  have  most  thoroughly  tested  the 
therapeutic  value  of  prayer.  For  certain  nervous  patients,  the 
victims  of  worry  and  fear,  we  have  often  prescribed  regular 
and  systematic  prayer.  We  have  been  astonished  to  discover 
the  wide  range  of  functional  disorders,  physical  disturbances, 
and  psychic  difficulties,  which  have  been  wholly  cured  or  greatly 
helped  by  this  simple  procedure;  and  to  our  utter  amazement, 
some  of  the  most  remarkable  cures  were  effected  in  the  case  of 
patients  who  frankly  told  us,  at  the  time  we  prescribed  prayer, 
that  they  did  not  believe  in  praying,  that  they  did  not  have  faith 
in  God.  To  such  we  would  explain  that  a  dose  of  salts  or  an 
ounce  of  castor  oil  would  be  likely  to  produce  certain  effects 
upon  them  quite  regardless  of  their  belief;  therefore,  that  if 
they  would  only  follow  our  directions  in  regard  to  prayer,  they 
would  probably  experience  certain  desirable  effects  independent 
of  their  belief. 

Among  many  patients  treated  by  the  therapeutics  of  prayer, 
the  following  case  is  cited  as  a  typical  instance:  Mrs.  B — ,  a 
widow  with  three  children,  had  been  coming  to  the  clinic  for 
several  weeks,  and  had  been  helped  but  little  by  our  physical 
ministrations.  One*  morning  she  said  she  was  thoroughly  dis- 
couraged ;  that  she  really  thought  she  was  .  going  to  lose  her 
mind;  that  it  would  be  useless  to  take  more  treatment.  After 
listening  again  to  her  story,  we  talked  to  her  for  half  an  hour, 
telling  her  what  a  wonderful  improvement  she  would  make  if 
she  could  get  over  the  idea  that  her  case  was  incurable,  or  that 
she  was  going  crazy.  We  then  ventured  the  opinion  that  we 
had  a  cure  that  would  work  in  her  case  if  she  would  only  con- 
sent to  try  it.  After  thoroughly  arousing  her  curiosity  as  to 
what  this  cure  might  be,  and  after  securing  a  written  promise 
from  her  that  she  would  take  our  cure  without  question,  ab- 
solutely  and    unquestioningly    follow   our    directions    in   every 


PRAYER  THE  MASTER  MIND  CURE  481 

detail,  we  proceeded  to  write  out  a  prescription  as  follows: 
"  Three  times  a  day,  regularly,  at  hours  you  may  select,  go 
into  the  front  room;  pull  down  the  blinds;  place  a  chair  in  the 
middle  of  the  room ;  kneel  down  in  front  of  this  chair ;  close  the 
eyes  and  pray  from  ten  to  fifteen  minutes.  Form  your  prayer 
into  words;  speak  softly,  but  distinctly.  Pray  about  anything 
or  for  anybody  you  choose,  except  yourself.  Under  no  circum- 
stances must  you  mention  yourself  or  pray  for  yourself;  that 
is,  you  must  not  pray  about  your  disease  or  your  mental  diffi- 
culties. You  may  pray  for  yourself  in  the  sense  of  asking  for 
spiritual  help,  but  in  no  case  must  your  nervous  disorders  be 
mentioned  in  your  prayers.  You  are  to  do  this  for  three 
weeks,  and  then  report  to  this  clinic." 

On  receiving  this  prescription,  the  patient  began  at  once  to 
explain  that  she  had  lost  all  faith  in  God,  and  that  she  did 
not  believe  in  prayer;  whereupon  we  exhibited  her  written 
promise  to  follow  our  directions,  and  she  immediately  stopped 
all  objection,  giving  us  her  word  that  she  would  do  as  we  had 
prescribed.  At  the  end  of  three  weeks  this  patient  appeared 
and  reported  that  she  had  gained  a  complete  victory  over  all 
her  mental  difficulties ;  that  she  had  also  gained  five  pounds  in 
weight,  was  sleeping  well,  and  that  her  neighbors  were  be- 
ginning to  speak  of  her  rapid  improvement.  This  patient 
reported  that  after  the  third  day  she  entered  heartily  into  her 
prayers,  and  that  each  day  she  was  more  and  more  strength- 
ened, refreshed,  and  invigorated.  This  entire  chapter  could 
be  filled  with  the  experience  related  by  this  one  patient.  The 
physicians  in  attendance  at  the  clinic  on  this  particular  morning 
were  profoundly  impressed  with  the  therapeutic  power  and 
possibilities  of  simple  prayer  —  with  its  psychic  value,  inde- 
pendent of  its  spiritual  province.  One  physician,  with  a  tearful 
eye,  said  to  the  author  at  the  close  of  the  clinic :  "  I  did  not 
know  we  had  such  a  tremendous  healing  force  lying  about 
unused." 

THE    PROSTITUTION    OF    PRAYER 

In  this  connection  we  desire  to  utter  a  warning  against  mor- 
bid methods  of  prayer.  No  procedure  is  capable  of  great  good 
without  at  the  same  time  being  susceptible  of  perversion  and 


482      THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

great  harm.  Another  case  will  illustrate  the  harm  of  prayer, 
when  it  consists  of  a  meaningless  recital  of  one's  difficulties, 
serving  as  a  source  of  adverse  auto-suggestion  to  the  mind. 
Such  methods  of  prayer  tend  to  weaken  and  debilitate  the 
mental  and  moral  powers.  About  a  year  ago  we  had  a  patient, 
a  young  man^  twenty-two  years  of  age,  who  was  fighting  a 
great  moral  battle.  He  became  very  much  discouraged;  broke 
off  his  marriage  engagement;  severed  his  connection  with  the 
church;  and  at  the  time  we  met  him,  seriously  contemplated 
suicide.  Having  tried  numerous  methods  of  giving  him  help 
and  relief,  we  finally  made  bold  to  advise  that  he  was  in  need 
of  moral  strength  —  spiritual  power  —  and  suggested  that  he 
would  find  great  help  in  systematic  prayer.  To  this  he  replied : 
"Why,  doctor,  I  have  prayed  about  my  troubles  until  two 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  then  after  my  great  struggle  with 
God,  I  would  soon  fall  again  into  my  sin.  The  more  I  pray, 
the  worse  I  get ;  nothing  will  do  me  any  good.  It  is  either  the 
insane  asylum  or  the  grave  for  me."  After  listening  to  this 
recital  of  his  experience,  it  occurred  to  us  that  in  his  case, 
prayer  was  being  prostituted  into  a  form  of  adverse  and  un- 
wholesome suggestion;  that  he  had  prayed  about  his  moral 
perversity  so  much  that  this  very  praying  had  become  a  direct 
aid  in  keeping  the  wicked  idea  everlastingly  before  his  mind. 
Instead  of  making  a  helpful  and  uplifting  suggestion  out  of 
prayer,  he  was  making  it  harmful  and  debasing.  And  so  we 
made  bold  to  suggest  the  following  procedure  in  his  case:  We 
asked  him  to  reunite  with  the  church ;  to  see  his  fiancee  and  set 
a  new  wedding-day;  to  begin  to  lay  plans  for  securing  a  flat, 
and  actively  engage  in  selecting  the  furnishings.  We  asked 
him  to  let  his  mind  freely  dwell  upon  the  happy  home  he  would 
have  and  the  splendid  children  who  would  come  to  bless  it.  We 
had  him  sign  a  written  agreement  not  to  think,  talk,  or  pray 
about  his  troubles  for  two  weeks.  We  explained  to  him  as 
best  we  could,  that  when  he  had  asked  his  Heavenly  Father  to 
help  him  in  a  matter  of  this  kind,  that  it  was  not  necessary 
to  ask  more  than  once ;  that  further  prayer  should  be  devoted  to 
thanking  God  for  the  help  that  was  to  come  and  in  expressing 
gratitude  for  the  help  that  even  now  had  already  come. 


PRAYER  THE  MASTER  MIND  CURE  483 

We  are  glad  to  report  that  in  this  case,  after  his  method  of 
praying  had  been  turned  from  one  of  constant  adverse  sug- 
gestion into  one  of  thanksgiving  and  gratitude,  he  was  highly 
successful.  From  that  day  on,  this  young  man  became  an  ab- 
solute victor  over  his  besetting  sin.  And  so  it  is  apparent  that 
prayer  can  be  so  perverted  as  to  become  a  means  of  great 
harm  as  a  therapeutic  procedure.  The  author's  highest  con- 
ception of  prayer  is  that  silent  and  spiritual  communion  between 
the  spirit  of  the  creature  and  the  Spirit  of  his  Maker.  In  the 
early  stages  of  therapeutic  praying  it  is  very  necessary  that 
the  prayer  should  be  calmly  and  distinctly  uttered  in  words, 
that  the  petitioner  may  hear  his  own  prayer,  for  this  greatly 
increases  the  influence  and  suggestive  power  of  the  procedure. 

It  is  our  opinion  that  in  the  case  of  the  patient  first  men- 
tioned, the  mere  silent  knieeling  before  the  chair  in  the  middle 
of  the  room  possessed  not  a  little  therapeutic  power.  Many  a 
nervous  patient  would  soon  cure  himself,  if  he  would  perfectly 
relax  and  silently  rest  for  fifteen  minutes  three  times  a  day. 
There  is  good  therapeutic  advice  in  that  old  Scripture :  "  Be 
still,  and  know  that  I  am  God." 

PRAYER    AN    INSPIRATION    TO    WORK 

Prayer  is  not  only  a  means  whereby  the  mind  of  man  and  the 
divine  forces  are  brought  into  cooperation,  but  if  it  is  uttered 
in  faith,  it  usually  leads  the  one  who  prays  to  put  forth  every 
effort  to  bring  about  the  answer  of  his  prayers.  Genuine 
prayer  is  an  expression  of  courage  and  confidence  combined 
with  faith  and  good  works. 

Although  prayer  is  a  powerful  therapeutic  agent,  we  must 
fully  recognize  that  neither  belief  in  our  prayers,  nor  sug- 
gestion, nor  reeducation  will  take  the  place  of  proper  physical 
ministrations  and  the  scientific  care  of  the  diseased  or  dis- 
ordered body.  Prayer  may  be  the  breath  of  the  soul;  prayer 
may  be  the  avenue  whereby  the  diseased  mind  is  eliminated  and 
the  Divine  Mind  brought  in  to  replace  it;  prayer  is  the  great 
channel  by  which  man  can  harmonize  his  mind  with  that  of 
his  Maker;  nevertheless,  good  food,  pure  water,  fresh  air, 
and  deep  breathing,  together  with  mental  and  physical  exer- 
cise, are  absolutely  essential  to  the  recovery  of  most  nervous 
and  psychic   disorders. 


484      THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

The  proper  regulation  of  the  diet,  the  hygiene  of  the  bowels, 
the  breathing  of  pure  air,  and  the  drinking  of  pure  water, 
have  much  to  do  with  the  cure  of  nervous  semi-invalids. 
Prayer  must  not  be  used  merely  as  a  means  of  giving  relief 
to  hysterical  feelings,  or  as  an  excuse  for  repeatedly  telling 
the  Almighty  how  much  you  have  done  for  Him,  and  how 
little  He  has  done  for  you.  li  the  spirit  of  faith  and  opti- 
mism, of  thanksgiving  and  joy,  is  not  found  in  prayer,  it  may 
become  an  unconscious  means  of  further  debilitating  and  de- 
pressing the  neurasthenic  and  nervous  patient.  It  is  not  only 
wise  to  prescribe  prayer,  but  it  is  also  necessary  to  teach  people 
how  to  pray.  Jesus  must  have  recognized  that  the  world 
knew  little  about  how  to  pray,  for  the  only  form  He  left  on 
record  was  that  wonderful  prayer,  commonly  known  as  the 
Lord's  Prayer,  which  He  gave  to  the  disciples  in  answer  to 
their  request :     "  Lord,  teach  us  to  pray." 

We  do  not  teach  that  prayer  should  not  be  used  as  a  safety- 
valve  for  the  soul.  It  is  far  better  when  the  feelings,  the 
emotions,  and  the  internal  pressure  have  arisen  almost  to  the 
bursting  point  —  it  is  far  better  for  the  Christian  to  pour  out 
his  soul  to  God  in  prayer,  than  to  participate  in  an  outburst 
of  anger  or  to  indulge  in  a  fit  of  bad  temper.  If  it  is  abso- 
lutely necessary  that  the  one  should  have  a  vent  of  some  sort 
to  relieve  himself,  prayer  will  be  found  to  be  a  successful  and 
satisfactory  mode  of  obtaining  such  relief.  Even  when  prayer 
is  accompanied  by  more  or  less  weeping  and  wailing,  it  is 
certainly  preferable  to  a  hysterical  outbreak  or  to  a  verbal 
explosion  of  raving  and  ranting. 

CHRISTIANITY   THE    HIGHEST   PSYCHOTHERAPY 

We  are  forced  to  recognize  the  therapeutic  value  of  prayer, 
no  matter  with  what  system  of  belief  or  religion  it  may  be 
associated;  but  we  have  spoken  of  prayer  in  this  text  with  the 
thought  of  its  being  a  part  of  practical  Christianity.  The 
author  regards  prayer  as  the  master  mind  cure,  and  Chris- 
tianity as  the  highest  and  truest  form  of  psychotherapy. 
There  can  be  no  question  that  the  Christian  religion,  when 
properly  understood  and  truly  experienced,  possesses  power 
both  to  prevent  and  cure  numerous  mental  maladies,  moral  dif- 


PRAYER  THE  MASTER  MIND  CURE  485 

Acuities,  and  physical  diseases.  This  entire  book  has  been 
devoted  to  the  psychology  and  physiology  of  faith  and  fear, 
and  it  must  be  evident  to  the  reader  that  fear  and  doubt  are 
disease-producing,  while  faith  and  hope  are  health-giving;  and 
in  the  author's  opinion,  the  highest  possibilities  of  faith  and  the 
greatest  power  of  hope  are  expressed  in  the  Christian  religion ; 
the  teachings  of  Christ  are  the  greatest  known  destroyers  of 
doubt  and  despair. 

No  one  can  appreciate  so  fully  as  a  doctor  the  amazingly 
large  percentage  of  human  diseases  and  sufferings  which  are 
directly  traceable  to  immorality,  dissipation,  and  ignorance  — 
to  unwholesome  thinking  and  unclean  living.  The  sincere  ac- 
ceptance of  the  principles  and  teachings  of  Christ  with  respect 
to  the  life  of  mental  peace  and  joy,  the  life  of  unselfish 
thought  and  clean  living,  would  at  once  remove  more  than  one- 
half  the  difficulties,  diseases,  and  sorrows  of  the  human  race. 
In  other  words,  more  than  one-half  of  the  present  afflictions 
of  mankind  could  be  prevented  by  the  tremendous  prophylactic 
power  of  the  Christian  religion. 

Christianity  applied  to  our  modern  civilization  —  under- 
standingly  applied,  not  merely  believed  or  accepted  —  would 
so  purify,  uplift,  and  vitalize  us  that  the  human  race  would 
immediately  stand  out  as  a  new  order  of  beings,  possessing 
superior  mental  power  and  increased  physical  force.  Irre- 
spective of  the  future  rewards  of  the  Christian  religion,  laying 
aside  all  discussion  of  future  Jife,  it  would  pay  any  man  or 
woman  to  live  the  Christ  life  just  for  the  mental  and  physical 
rewards  which  it  affords  here  in  this  present  world.  Some  day 
the  world  may  awake  to  the  point  where  it  will  recognize 
that  the  teachings  of  Christ  are  potent  and  powerful  in  the 
work  of  preventing  and  curing  disease.  Some  day  our  won- 
derful boasted  scientific  developments,  as  regards  mental  and 
moral  improvement,  may  indeed  catch  up  with  the  teachings 
of  the  Christian  religion. 

RELIGIOUS  WORRY  AND   SPIRITUAL   GRIEF 

Repeatedly  we  have  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  the 
body  does  its  best  work  when  the  mind  is  kept  entirely  off  the 
physical   functions.     The  physical  body  is  most  healthy  when 


486      THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

least  thought  of.  To  concentrate  the  mind  on  any  internal 
organ  will  sooner  or  later  result  in  deranging  its  functions 
and  aid  in  producing  physical  disease.  Introspection  is  de- 
structive of  health  and  encourages  disease ;  and  this  truth  holds 
equally  good  in  the  spiritual  and  moral  realms.  The  less  one 
thinks  about  one's  spiritual  life,  the  more  healthy  and  whole- 
some it  becomes.  And  we  are  reminded  in  this  connection  of 
the  statement  once  made  by  that  great  evangelist,  Mr.  Dwight 
L.  Moody.  One  day  on  meeting  a  friend  he  had  not  seen  for 
many  years,  he  was  asked,  "  Well,  Mr.  Moody,  how  is  your 
soul  ?  "  To  this  question  Mr.  Moody  replied :  "  Well,  I  am 
sure  I  don't  know.  I  have  been  so  busy  working  for  other 
people  that  I  haven't  had  time  to  think  anything  about  my 
soul;  I  guess  it  is  all  right."  And  we  would  suggest  that 
Mr.  Moody  probably  never  experienced  a  holier  and  more 
truly  spiritual  moment  in  his  life  than  he  did  at  that  very 
time,  at  that  moment  when  he  was  utterly  unmindful  of  the 
immediate  state  and  workings  of  his  own  soul.  When  the 
praying  Christian  has  committed  his  soul  to  the  keeping  of 
his  Maker;  when  he  is  walking  in  the  light  of  life  as  he  dis- 
cerns it;  what  worry  about  his  soul  should  find  a  place  in 
his  mind? 

It  is  only  when  the  body  is  sick  that  we  are  reminded  that 
we  have  one;  it  is  only  when  the  stomach  is  sick  that  we  are 
aware  of  its  presence.  And  so  we  are  persuaded  that  it  is 
only  when  the  soul  is  diseased^ — sin-sick  —  that  we  are  ever 
reminded  that  we  have  one.  When  all  is  well,  when  one  is 
living  the  faith  life,  when  the  soul  is  at  peace  with  God  and 
with  its  fellows,  we  are  inclined  to  believe  that  the  spiritual 
life  is  much  like  that  described  by  Mr.  Moody.  We  are  so 
busy  and  so  happy  with  our  unselfish  efforts  to  help  our  fellow 
man,  that  we  have  not  time  to  stop  and  think  of  our  own  soul. 
And  why  should  we?  Having  accepted  the  peace  and  fellow- 
ship extended  by  our  Maker,  why  should  we  not  pass  on  with 
joy  and  rejoicing,  directing  our  greatest  efforts  to  the  recon- 
ciliation of  the  heart-broken,  sorrow-stricken,  and  downtrod- 
den members  of  the  race,  who  have  not  yet  discovered  the 
beauties  of  this  life  of  faith  —  this  life  of  man's  oneness  with 
God? 


PRAYER  THE  MASTER  MIND  CURE  487 

THE    NEW    MIND   IN   THE  OLD   BODY 

The  great  battle  of  life  consists  in  an  incessant  struggle 
between  mind  and  matter.  "  For  the  flesh  lusteth  against  the 
Spirit,  and  the  Spirit  against  the  flesh;  and  these  are  con- 
trary the  one  to  the  other ;  so  that  ye  cannot  do  the  things  that 
ye  would."     (Gal.  V:i7.) 

The  Apostle  Paul  was  the  great  philosopher  of  the  Christian 
religion.  His  portrayals  of  the  warfare  between  the  carnal 
and  spiritual  natures,  between  mind  and  body,  are  vivid  and 
classic.  Paul  recognized  that  while  religion  was  able  to 
change  the  mind,  it  did  not  necessarily  change  the  body;  and 
so  he  wrote:  "  I  keep  under  my  body,  and  bring  it  into  subjec- 
tion ;  lest  that  by  any  means,  when  I  have  preached  to  others, 
I  myself  should  be  a  castaway."  (I  Cor.  IX 127.)  Paul  cer- 
tainly recognized  the  great  truth  of  Christian  psychology  — 
that  while  we  may  secure  a  new  mind,  we  are  in  no  wise  de- 
livered from  the  old  body. 

The  spiritual  nature  expresses  itself  in  the  choice  of  mind, 
whereas  the  carnal  nature  manifests  itself  through  the  desires 
and  passions  of  the  flesh.  The  regeneration  of  the  mind  is 
entirely  possible.  Spiritually,  a  man  can  be  "born  again," 
start  out  afresh  with  new  and  heaven-born  desires;  and  this 
wonderful  process  can  be  wrought  in  an  instant,  in  a  moment 
of  time,  by  the  simple  choosing  of  the  "  mind  of  Christ "  in 
the  place  of  the  mind  of  self;  by  the  simple  surrender  of  the 
human  will  to  the  Divine  Will. 

But  it  is  not  so  with  the  body,  with  its  hereditary  taints, 
its  passions,  and  its  perverted  appetites  and  craving  desires. 
These  attributes  of  the  flesh  stubbornly  and  constantly  dispute 
the  rule  and  reign  of  the  higher  powers  of  the  mind.  The 
spiritual  nature  is,  as  it  were,  engaged  in  combat  with  a  vicious 
animal  that  ever  seeks  to  encompass  its  overthrow  and  effect 
its  destruction.  The  body  must  be  subdued  —  tamed;  it  must 
be  constantly  watched;  the  flesh  cannot  be  trusted;  the  soul 
must  be  safeguarded  against  the  waywardness  of  the  body, 
as  expressed  by  Paul :  "  Put  ye  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
and  make  not  provision  for  the  flesh,  to  fulfil  the  lusts  thereof." 
(Rom.   Xni:i4.) 


488       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

But  can  we  do  nothing  for  the  body,  to  make  easier  this 
contest  with  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil?  Yes,  much 
can  be  done  to  disarm  the  flesh.  While  the  body  does  not 
experience  conversion  in  the  same  manner  as  does  the  spir- 
itual nature,  it  may  be  slowly  improved  by  proper  attention 
to  habits  of  diet,  exercise,  etc.,  and  in  this  way  the  internal 
warfare  between  the  spirit  and  the  flesh  may  be  greatly 
lessened. 

The  new  mind  is  compelled  to  take  up  its  residence  in  the 
old  body.  It  is  only  reasonable  that  we  should  do  everything 
possible  to  render  the  old  body  a  fit  habitation  for  the  new 
mind.  We  are  certainly  under  obligation  to  clean  up  the  old 
fleshly  house,  to  put  into  it  only  those  food  materials  which 
are  clean  and  pure,  and  capable  of  improving  the  bodily  struc- 
ture by  replacing  broken  down  material  with  superior  matter. 
Likewise,  the  habits  of  eating  and  drinking  should  be  care- 
fully studied  to  see  that  no  deteriorating  substance  is  taken  into 
the  body  which  will  irritate  the  nerves,  poison  the  brain, 
weaken  the  resistance,  and  thus  make  the  flesh  a  prey  to  the 
thousand  and  one  agencies  of  destruction  which  abound  on 
every  side. 

In  a  few  words,  it  is  our  Christian  duty  to  keep  the  body 
in  a  sound  and  healthy  condition,  to  keep  it  unirritated;  to 
eschew  those  things  which  fire  the  animal  nature  and 
strengthen  vicious  tendencies;  and  which,  thereby,  weaken  the 
power  of  mind  over  matter,  and  in  the  end  bring  their  vic- 
tims into  hopeless  subjection  and  slavery  to  the  carnal  vices 
and  whims  of  the  flesh.  Concerning  this  the  apostle  writes: 
"What?  Know  ye  not  that  your  body  is  the  temple  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  which  is  in  you,  which  ye  have  of  God,  and  ye  are 
not  your  own?  For  ye  are  bought  with  a  price;  therefore 
glorify  God  in  your  body,  and  in  your  spirit,  which  are  God's." 
"  Whether  therefore  ye  eat,  or  drink,  or  whatsoever  ye  do, 
do  all  to  the  glory  of  God."  (I  Cor.  VI:i9,  20;  X:3i.) 

THE    GOSPEL     OF     RECKONING 

According  to  Paul's  teaching,  the  fundamental  law  of  the 
Christian  life  is  based  on  reckoning.  The  apostle  teaches  that 
by  divine  grace   the  believer  in   Christ  actually  becomes  just 


PRAYER  THE  MASTER  MIND  CURE  489 

what  he  (the  believer)  by  faith  reckons  himself  to  be.  Chris- 
tianity enjoins  that  one  must  think  life  before  attaining  the 
spiritual  resurrection.  Paul  said :  "  Likewise,  reckon  ye  also 
yourselves  to  be  dead  indeed  unto  sin,  but  alive  unto  God 
through  Jesus   Christ  our   Lord."     (Rom.   VI:ii.) 

Concerning  his  own  struggle  in  the  contest  between  mind 
and  matter  —  spirit  and  body  —  and  the  final  victorious  out- 
come, Paul  wrote :  "  I  find  then  a  law,  that,  when  I  would  do 
good,  evil  is  present  with  me.  For  I  delight  in  the  law  of  God 
after  the  inward  man:  but  I  see  another  law  in  my  members, 
warring  against  the  law  of  my  mind,  and  bringing  me  into  cap- 
tivity to  the  law  of  sin  which  is  in  my  members.  O  wretched 
man  that  I  am !  who  shall  deliver  me  from  the  body  of  this 
death?  I  thank  God  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.  So  then 
with  the  mind  I  myself  serve  the  law  of  God;  but  with  the 
flesh  the  law  of  sin.  There  is  therefore  now  no  condemnation 
to  them  which  are  in  Christ  Jesus,  who  walk  not  after  the 
flesh,  but  after  the  spirit."     (Rom.  VII  :2i —  VIII  :i.) 

It  will  not  always  appear  to  Christian  believers  that  the 
body  of  sin  is  dead,  but  it  is  their  privilege,  by  faith,  to  reckon 
that  they  are  dead  indeed,  unto  sin.  And  standing  upon  this 
platform  of  faith,  it  is  the  Christian's  privilege  to  experience 
Romans  VI,  verses  12-14.  "  Let  not  sin  therefore  reign  in  your 
mortal  body,  that  ye  should  obey  it  in  the  lusts  thereof. 
Neither  yield  ye  your  members  as  instruments  of  unrighteous- 
ness unto  sin ;  but  yield  yourselves  unto  God,  as  those  that  are 
alive  from  the  dead,  and  your  members  as  instruments  of 
righteousness  unto  God.  For  sin  shall  not  have  dominion  over 
you." 

But  what  shall  we  do  with  the  flesh  after  we  recognize 
that  it  is  not  yet  dead  unto  sin  ?  The  answer  is :  "  Mortify 
therefore  your  members  which  are  upon  the  earth ;  fornication, 
uncleanness,  inordinate  affection,  evil  concupiscence,  and  cov- 
etousness,  which  is  idolatry."  (Col.  111:5.)  How  shall  we 
mortify  the  flesh?  By  simply  reckoning  it  to  be  dead,  and 
then  leaving  it  alone.  Mortification  is  a  process  of  nature 
which  spontaneously  takes  place  when  things  die.  Don't  seek 
to  embalm,  to  excuse,  to  embellish,  to  compromise,  with  the 
deeds  of  the  flesh. 


490      THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

That  this  victory  of  the  spirit  over  the  flesh  is  entirely 
dependent  on  the  psychic  state  and  attitude  is  shown  by  Eph. 
IV 122-24,  which  says :  "  That  ye  put  off  concerning  the 
former  conversation  the  old  man,  which  is  corrupt  according 
to  the  deceitful  lusts;  and  be  renewed  in  the  spirit  of  your 
mind;  and  that  ye  put  on  the  new  man,  which  after  God  is 
created   in   righteousness    and   true   holiness." 

PHYSICAL   RIGHTEOUSNESS   AN    AID   TO    SPIRITUAL   LIVING 

Obedience  to  the  laws  of  health  is  an  effectual  means  of 
disarming  the  flesh  —  as  it  were,  of  removing  the  weights 
tied  about  the  sinking  soul  —  which  will  enable  the  mind  to 
survive  and  the  spirit  to  rule.  While  it  is  true  that  we  cannot 
eat  and  drink  ourselves  into  the  Kingdom  of  God,  it  is  equally 
true  that. many  are  eating  and  drinking  themselves  out  of  both 
the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  and  the  kingdom  of  health. 

Every  act  of  obedience  to  the  laws  of  life,  and  every  effort 
to  "  cleanse  ourselves  from  all  filthiness  of  the  flesh  and 
spirit"  (II  Cor.  VII :i),  are  powerful  helps  to  the  mind  in 
its  battle  to  control  matter.  They  are  direct  aids  to  the  spirit 
in  its  struggle  to  master  the  body.  Likewise,  every  trans- 
gression of  physical  law  which  results  in  weakening,  irritat- 
ing, and  sickening  the  body,  serves  as  an  additional  weight 
about  the  neck  of  the  soul  to  hold  it  down  in  its  efforts  to 
rise  above  the  polluted  waters  of  the  physical  and  material 
realm. 

Good  physical  health  —  a  nervous  system  in  perfect  equi- 
librium, sound  digestion,  a  pure  blood  stream,  an  active  and 
well-regulated  eliminative  system  —  these  are  all  physical 
means  of  grace  to  the  spiritual  nature.  They  represent  the 
"  old  man "  cleaned  up  and  disarmed  to  the  fullest  possible 
extent.  In  such  a  condition  it  is  infinitely  easier  for  the  new 
mind  to  manage  the  old  body. 

SUMMARY    OF    THE    CHAPTER 

1.  Prayer  is  a  sort  of  spiritual  communion  between  man 
and  his  Maker.  It  is  second  to  no  other  practice,  in  its  power 
to   influence  the  mind  and  liberate  the   soul. 

2.  While  prayer  may  not  change  God,  it  certainly  does 
change  the  one  who  prays;  and  this  mental  transformation  is 
sometimes  immediate,  profound,  and  wholly  inexplicable. 


PRAYER  THE  MASTER  MIND  CURE  491 

3  The  mental  factor  in  true  prayer  is  that  of  suggestion 
and  self-surrender  —  self-surrender  of  the  human  will  to  the 
Divine  Mind.  There  is  tremendous  psychotherapeutic  power 
in  simple  old-fashioned  prayer. 

4.  The  moral  element  of  prayer  consists  in  keeping  the 
mind  focussed  on  high  ideals.  Prayer  strengthens  the  will,  in 
contradistinction  to   hypnotism  which   usually  weakens   it. 

5.  The  spiritual  factor  in  prayer  is  found  in  its  ability  to 
generate  moral  energy,  and  its  power  to  create  spiritual  cour- 
age.    Prayer  is  the  secret  of  spiritual  victory. 

6.  The  practice  of  prayer  very  markedly  influences  the  per- 
formance of  many  physical  functions.  Prayer  influences  the 
body  favorably  or  unfavorably  according  as  it  is  dominated 
by  faith  or  fear. 

7.  The  psychological  and  therapeutic  value  of  prayer  has 
been  greatly  underestimated  by  modern  reformers  and  psy- 
chotherapists. The  prayer  of  faith  is  the  gateway  to  the  new 
birth  —  the  new  mind. 

8.  The  prayer  cure  is  the  treatment  par  excellence  for  nu- 
merous nervous,  worried,  and  hysterical  patients.  Prayer 
possesses  a  positive  value  as  a  therapeutic  agent,  even  in  the 
experience  of  those  who  doubt  its  efficacy  and  who  have  little 
faith  in  a  prayer-hearing   God. 

9.  The  prayer  of  faith  is  a  source  of  favorable  and  powerful 
auto-suggestion  to  the  mind  of  the  one  who  prays;  while  the 
prayer  of  doubt  and  fear  may  become  highly  injurious  because 
of  its  power  of  adverse  suggestion. 

10.  Prayer  may  be  so  prostituted  as  to  become  a  source  of 
moral  weakness  and  spiritual  defeat.  It  is  sometimes  neces- 
sary to  forbid  patients  praying  about  their  peculiar  or  partic- 
ular obsessions  and  other  harassing  difficulties. 

11.  Genuine  prayer  inspires  the  one  who  prays  to  put  forth 
every  intelligent  effort  to  bring  about  the  answer  to  his 
prayers. 

12.  Although  prayer  is  a  potent  therapeutic  agency,  it  cannot 
take 'the  place  of  proper  physical  ministration  and  the  scientific 
care  of  the  diseased  or  disordered  body. 

13.  The   practice   of   prayer   constitutes   a   safety-valve    for 


492      THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

mind  and  soul.     A  season  of  praying  will  often  prevent  an 
outburst  of  anger  or  a  fit  of  bad  temper. 

14.  Prayer  is  the  master  mind  cure.  Christianity  is  the 
highest  and  truest  form  of  psychotherapy.  The  highest  possi- 
bilities of  faith  and  the  greatest  power  of  hope  are  expressed 
in  the  teachings  of  Christ. 

15.  If  Christianity  were  practically  applied  to  our  modern 
civilization,  it  would  so  purify  and  vitalize  the  race  that  more 
than  one-half  of  our  sorrow  and  sickness  would  immediately 
disappear. 

16.  The  less  one  thinks  of  one's  spiritual  life,  the  more 
healthy  and  wholesome  it  becomes.  The  soul,  like  the  body,  never 
reminds  us  of  its  presence,  unless  something  has  gone  wrong. 

17.  While  both  theology  and  psychology  teach  the  possi- 
bility of  man's  securing  a  new  mind,  physiology  demonstrates 
the  impossibility  of  our  getting  a  new  body,  in  the  same  sense. 
The  new  mind  must  take  up  its  habitation  and  fight  its  battles 
in  the  same  old  body. 

18.  While  the  body  cannot  experience  conversion  as  does 
the  spiritual  nature,  nevertheless,  it  can  be  slowly  improved 
and  effectively  disarmed,  by  proper  attention  to  the  habits 
of  diet  and  exercise. 

19.  It  is  a  Christian  duty  to  keep  the  body  in  a  sound  and 
healthy  condition;  to  keep  it  unirritated;  to  eschew  those 
practices  which  fire  the  animal  nature  and  inflame  the  vicious 
passions. 

20.  Both  psychologic  and  Christian  philosophy  teach  that 
what  the  human  soul  reckons  itself  by  faith  to  be  —  eventually, 
that  is  just  what  it  will  become.  The  thought  of  life  in  the 
mind,  precedes  the  spiritual  resurrection. 

21.  Physical  righteousness  is  a  great  aid  to  spiritual  living. 
Obedience  to  the  laws  of  health  is  an  effectual  means  of  dis- 
arming the  flesh  in  its  incessant  warfare  against  the  spirit. 


CHAPTER  XL 

THE  EMANCIPATED  LIFE 

The    bondage    of    civilization. —  Physical    emancipation, 

THE  simple  life  FOR  THE  BODY. —  MeNTAL  EMANCIPATION, 
THE  SIMPLE  LIFE  FOR  THE  MIND. —  SOCIAL  EMANCIPATION, 
THE  SIMPLE  LIFE  FOR  THE  COMMUNITY. —  DOMESTIC  EMAN- 
CIPATION, THE  SIMPLE  LIFE  FOR  THE  HOME. —  MoRAL  EMAN- 
CIPATION, THE   SIMPLE   LIFE    FOR   THE   SOUL. 

THE  civilized  races  are  at  present  suffering  the  blight  of 
numerous  unnecessary  physical  maladies,  while  the  mind 
of  man  is  fettered  with  fear,  and  the  human  soul  is  well-nigh 
crushed  with  worry  and  sorrow;  all  of  which  is  largely,  if  not 
wholly,  preventable.  Much  of  the  unhappiness  of  mankind 
is  due  to  physical  transgression,  mental  worry,  moral  delin- 
quency, and  the  exacting  demands  of  conventional  society. 

THE   BONDAGE    OF    CIVILIZATION 

Man  is  a  sovereign  being  with  soul  freedom,  mental  inde- 
pendence, and  moral  option;  but  to-day  our  complex  civiliza- 
tion and  highly  developed  commerce  are  rapidly  turning  men 
and  women  into  highly  specialized  intellectual  and  industrial 
machines.  This  is  well  illustrated  by  the  case  of  the  young 
woman  from  the  tenement  district,  who  went  to  work  in  a  box 
factory,  to  make  paper  boxes.  She  was  paid  for  her  services 
at  so  much  a  hundred  boxes.  She  reported  that  she  enjoyed 
the  work,  and  she  was  very  sociable  with  the  other  yoimg 
girls  who  worked  with  her,  some  of  whom  were  younger 
than  she.  After  the  first  few  weeks  she  ceased  to  talk  with 
her  fellow-workers,  and  her  sociability  at  home  was  noticeably 
decreased.  When  asked  for  an  explanation  for  this  change 
in  temperamental  behavior,  she  replied :  "  I  have  learned  that 
I  cannot  make  so  many  boxes  when  I  talk,  therefore  I  cannot 
earn  so  much  money." 

493 


494      THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

After  a  year  of  work  in  this  paper-box  factory,  the  entire 
expression  on  this  young  woman's  face  had  become  more  or 
less  changed.  She  went  to  work  in  the  morning,  came  home 
at  night,  and  after  doing  her  washing  and  ironing  or  other 
necessary  work,  went  to  bed.  Up  again  in  the  morning,  and 
off  at  work  all  day  —  just  like  a  machine.  In  answer  to  fur- 
ther questions  at  this  time  with  respect  to  her  once  buoyant 
and  joyful  temperament,  she  said:  "No,  I  don't  think  any 
more.  I  have  learned  that  when  I  think  about  anything  while 
at  work,  I  cannot  make  so  many  boxes,  and  then  I  cannot  earn 
so  much  money." 

One  would  naturally  think  that  the  sacredness  of  the  sov- 
ereign individuality  which  has  been  given  to  man  would  nat- 
urally protect  us  against  the  slavery  of  imitation,  but  this  is 
not  so.  The  power  of  suggestion,  the  dread  of  adverse  crit- 
icism, and  the  fear  of  ridicule,  make  of  otherwise  intelligent 
men  and  women,  abject  slaves  to  the  prevailing  fashions. 
Man  has  largely  lost  sight  of  the  fact  that  diversity  of  char- 
acter and  expression  is  the  law  of  creation.  No  two  leaves, 
even  on  the  same  tree,  are  exactly  alike.  The  race  is  losing 
sight  of  the  fact  that  the  supreme  duty  of  man  is  to  live  at 
his  best  —  ascertain  the  conditions  essential  thereto,  and  faith- 
fully  adjust  his   life  to  them. 

The  human  race  is  drifting  into  bondage  to  the  convention- 
alities of  commerce  and  civilized  society.  The  emancipated 
life  is  the  efficient  life,  the  simple  life.  History  abundantly 
proves  that  vice,  intemperance,  indolence,  and  the  complexity 
of  civilization,  are  the  chief  factors  in  the  decay,  the  ruin,  and 
the  downfall  of  nations.  Many  of  our  modern  diseases  are 
practically  limited  to  the  civilized  races.  Culture  and  edu- 
cation, instead  of  delivering  the  race  from  fear,  in  many 
cases  serve  but  to  multiply  our  fears  and  increase  our  anxieties. 

By  far  the  majority  of  the  diseases  of  savagery  are  caused 
by  microbes,  and  are  therefore  subject  to  control  and  elimina- 
tion by  quarantine  and  sanitation;  while  the  mental  diseases, 
the  moral  maladies,  and  the  bad-habit  disorders  of  the  civ- 
ilized races  can  be  eradicated  only  by  bringing  about  the 
mental,  moral,  and  physical  emancipation  of  the  people. 


r- 


FIG  ^3.    RIGHT  AND  WRONG  SOCIAL  TENDENCIES. 


:  / 


THE  EMANCIPATED  LIFE  495 

The  national  supremacy  and  the  military  triumphs  of  the 
simple-life  peoples,  from  the  Medes  to  the  Japs,  constitute 
a  strong  indictment  against  the  unwholesomeness  of  the  mod- 
ern tendency  to  multiply  false  and  material  needs,  to  over- 
indulge the  physical  appetites  and  passions,  and  consequently 
to  overburden  the  mind  with  fear  and  worry.  The  modern 
highly  complex  methods  of  civilized  living  resemble  an  engine 
with  the  throttle  wide  open:  there  exists  no  reserve  power. 

PHYSICAL     EMANCIPATION THE     SIMPLE     LIFE     FOR     THE     BODY 

As  we  increase  the  complexity  of  modern  living,  it  becomes 
necessary  that  very  simple  and  hygienic  habits  should  be  gen- 
erally adopted.  It  is  highly  essential  that  men  and  women  of 
the  twentieth  century  should  give  daily  study  and  intelligent 
thought  to  the  cultivation  and  preservation  of  health.  The 
integrity  of  the  civilized  races  is  dependent  upon  getting  away 
from  the  house  —  from  the  sedentary  life.  Man  is  in  every 
sense  an  outdoor  animal,  and  sunshine  and  fresh  air  are  indis- 
pensable to  his  health  and  happiness.  Many  of  our  modern 
maladies,  such  as  bronchitis,  pneumonia,  catarrh,  and  tuber- 
culosis are  purely  and  simply  house  diseases. 

Many  a  man  could  deliver  himself  from  mental  bondage 
and  moral  depression  by  merely  learning  how  to  breathe,  how 
to  breathe  deeply  and  naturally.  Thousands  of  people  are 
habitually  suffering  from  semi-suffocation,  due  to  their  in- 
sufficient   and   unnatural   methods   of   breathing. 

Free  and  regular  water-drinking  in  connection  with  system- 
atic bathing,  together  with  the  proper  regulation  of  the  diet  — 
eating  the  right  amount  of  good  food  at  right  times  —  would  set 
many  a  chronic  dyspeptic  free  from  the  bondage  and  terrors 
of  his  digestive  disturbances. 

Daily  exercise  in  healthful  and  properly  adjusted  clothing, 
together  with  regular  rest,  sound  sleep,  and  wholesome  recre- 
ation, would  emancipate  many  a  soul,  now  held  securely  by  the 
fetters  of  chronic  disease  and  mental  depression.  Let  the 
civilized  nations  open  their  eyes  to  the  fact  that  plain  living 
and  high  thinking  go  together. 

MENTAL    EMANCIPATION THE   SIMPLE    LIFE    FOR   THE    MIND 

Civilized  people  have  not  yet  reached  the  place  where  they 


496      THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

are  willing  to  break  away  from  that  debilitating  and  fear- 
ridden  practice  of  constantly  worrying  about  what  other  peo- 
ple think  of  them  We  are  more  or  less  victims  of  blind  and 
unreasoning  prejudices  —  and  prejudice  is  a  sort  of  mental 
cork,  which  prevents  good  ideas  from  entering  the  mind,  and 
sometimes  also  prevents  splendid  thoughts  escaping  therefrom. 

Most  people  constantly  practise  mental  repression  —  that  is, 
they  do  not  cultivate  original  habits  of  thought,  and  do  not 
encourage  the  mind  honestly  and  fearlessly  to  express  itself. 
This  sort  of  psychic  slavery  is  one  of  the  curses  of  the  con- 
ventionality which  ever  attaches  itself  to  a  state  of  civiliza- 
tion. Many  a  great  mind  has  been  dwarfed  and  crippled  by 
the  paralyzing  influence  of  this  social  hypocrisy. 

An  uncontrolled  and  explosive  temper  is  like  dynamite  to 
happiness.  A  single  fit  of  anger  is  able  to  destroy  the  tran- 
quillity of  the  mind  for  days  and  even  weeks.  The  serpent  of 
suspicion  is  a  mind  poison,  a  thing  to  be  greatly  feared  and 
constantly  shunned;  while  despondency  is  inhuman  and  unnat- 
ural; every  intelligent  man  and  woman  should  maintain  per- 
petual quarantine  against  it. 

The  inordinate  itching  for  publicity,  the  unnatural  and 
unwholesome  desire  for  notoriety,  makes  slaves  out  of  other- 
wise intelligent  people.  The  desire  to  be  regarded  as  "  some- 
body," and  the  unnatural  tendency  to  climb  to  the  "top  of  the 
heap,"  must  be  blamed  for  a  great  deal  of  our  present-day 
unhappiness,  heartache,  and  sorrow. 

Simplicity  brings  the  joy  and  satisfaction  that  belong  to  the 
emancipated  mind.  Joy  and  satisfaction  are  not  to  be  found 
in  things  or  in  riches,  but  in  the  soul. 

Let  simplicity  and  sincerity  of  speech  displace  our  modern 
methods  of  "  counterfeit  talk."  The  little  boy  was  not  far 
from  right  when  he  wrote,  in  his  essay  on  words,  "  Speech  is 
made  to  cover  up  our  thoughts."  Let  sanctified  common  sense 
displace  the  universal  desire  for  excitement  and  the  ever- 
present  tendency  to  exaggerate,  to  overdraw,  to  overstate,  to 
distort,  to  magnify,  and  to  create  a  sensation. 

Let  the  mind  be  carefully  nourished,  wisely  supplied  with 
diversified  mental   food.    Let  the  mind  be  properly  fed,  not 


THE  EMANCIPATED  LIFE  497 

merely  fascinated.  An  exclusive  diet  of  novels  is  not  good  for 
the  development  and  upbuilding  of  the  intellect.  Wholesome 
fiction  may  have  its  place  as  a  sort  of  mental  recreation,  but  it 
is  certainly  unwise,  especially  in  the  case  of  young  people,  to 
permit  the  mental  nourishment  to  be  composed  exclusively  of 
novels. 

Self-control  is  the  great  secret  and  source  of  human  health 
and  happiness.  Study  how  properly  to  work  both  mind  and 
body,  but  also  study  the  divine  law  of  mental  rest.  Studiously 
shun  cankering  care  and  that  life  of  perpetual  anxiety  and 
suspense  to  which  so  many  are  unfortunately  addicted.  Avoid 
fear  thought  and  worry  and  all  their  mental  cousins;  and  re- 
member it  is  time  to  take  a  vacation,  to  call  a  halt,  when  you 
find  you  are  dreaming  at  night  about  your  work. 

There  can  be  little  doubt  that  our  modern  strenuous  methods 
of  living  have  much  to  do  with  increasing  the  mental  insta- 
bility of  the  race.  Insanity  is  increasing  by  leaps  and  bounds 
—  out  of  all  proportion  to  the  normal  growth  of  population. 
The  author  believes  that  the  unwholesome  complexity,  the 
unnecessary  multiplication  of  false  demands  and  fictitious 
duties  on  the  part  of  modern  civilization,  is  indirectly  con- 
cerned in  undermining  the  mental  stamina  of  the  race;  and 
the  same  evil  work  is  accomplished  by  the  direct  influence  of 
mental  worry  and  other  unhygienic  practices. 

SOCIAL    EMANCIPATION — THE    SIMPLE    LIFE    FOR    THE 
COMMUNITY 

Thousands  of  women  are  rendered  exceedingly  nervous  and 
held  in  social  bondage  by  their  foolish  endeavors  to  shine  in 
society.  Thousands  of  both  men  and  women  labor  under  the 
lash  of  debts  and  mortgages  for  no  reason  other  than  that 
they  may  enjoy  the  delusions  of  luxury.  The  idea  that  one 
must  have  fine  clothes,  diamonds,  or  automobiles,  in  order  to 
maintain  his  place  in  society,  has  wrought  the  ruin  and  com- 
passed the  downfall  of  many  otherwise  intelligent  and  happy 
families. 

Modern  society  is  suppressing  and  deforming  the  individ- 
uality of  its  devotees.  Social  usages  and  conventionalities 
are  producing  the  "  social  stereotype."    The  rising  generation 


498       THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  AND  FEAR 

are  taught  to  uphold  and  ape  the  customs,  habits,  and  man- 
nerisms of  the  preceding  generation.  Genius,  talent,  and  per- 
sonality are  choked  and  strangled  by  this  insane  desire  to  run 
the  rising  generation  into  our  standard  social  moulds. 

The  civilized  nations  are  rapidly  creating  false  and  arbi- 
trary standards  of  taste.  Our  methods  of  living  are  becoming 
increasingly  extravagant,  and  all  this  results  in  producing 
dissatisfaction  and  discontent  on  the  part  of  the  lower  classes 
of  society,  when  they  are  unable  to  secure  these  material  pos- 
sessions, which  they  are  being  taught  to  regard  as  essential  to 
happiness  and  good  living. 

There  is  altogether  too  great  a  tendency  to  classify  modern 
society  according  to  dollars.  We  are  becoming,  as  a  nation, 
afflicted  with  a  false  pride  of  wealth  and  power.  The  mind 
is  ever  filled  with  thoughts  of  discontent  because  we  do  not 
possess  the  wealth  and  the  artificial  prestige  and  power  which 
are  supposed  to  accompany  riches.  To  those  who  really  know 
the  inner  lives  and  experiences  of  the  wealthy  classes  and 
the  high  social  sets,  it  becomes  readily  apparent  how  unhappy 
and  dissatisfied  are  the  majority  of  these  multi-millionaires 
and  social  butterflies.  The  rising  generation  should  be  fully 
taught  respecting  the  follies  of  fashion  and  the  emptiness  of 
wealth,  as  well  as  the  vulgarity  of  the  wanton  waste  of  it,  and 
the  ostentatious  display  of  those  things  which  money  is  able 
to  buy. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  much  mental  sorrow,  and  often 
downright  dishonesty,  is  born  of  the  tendency  of  the  civilized 
races  to  have  too  many  supposed  social  needs.  Young  men 
and  women  come  to  regard  their  happiness  as  dependent  upon 
the  possession  of  certain  material  blessings,  or  on  the  ability 
to  indulge  in  certain  expensive  forms  of  amusement  and  rec- 
reation. The  civilized  races  are  in  danger  of  becoming  verit- 
able bondservants  to  the  threatened  domination  of  the 
sovereignty  of  fictitious  needs. 

The  social  functions,  banquets,  and  other  lavish  entertain- 
ments of  modern  society  constitute  an  appalling  waste  both  of 
time  and  money.  The  energy  and  means  foolishly  and  often 
harmfully  squandered  by  one-half  of  the  world,  would,  in  a 


THE  EMANCIPATED  LIFE  499 

short  time,  result  in  educating  and  delivering  the  other  half 
from  its  intellectual  slavery  and  industrial  bondage.     (See  Fig. 

43-) 

The  unnatural  mental  tension  and  high  blood-pressure  ever 
associated  with  social  conquest  and  fashionable  entertainments, 
are  rapidly  undermining  the  nervous  strength  and  the  vital 
resistance,  especially  of  the  women  in  the  higher  circles  of 
society.  There  is  little  doubt  in  the  author's  mind  that  these 
unnecessary  social  strains  upon  the  nervous  system  are  largely 
responsible  for  the  alarmingly  increasing  tendency  on  the  part 
of  women  in  the  higher  social  sets  to  resort  to  the  regular 
use  of  narcotics  and  drugs.  It  soon  develops  that  tea  and 
coffee,  or  even  cigarettes,  are  unable  to  afford  the  desired 
relief,  so  there  is  an  ever-present  tendency  to  resort  to  mor- 
phine, opium,  or  cocaine.  It  should  be  remembered  that  the 
drug  fiends  are  not  all  found  among  the  destitute  and  unfor- 
tunate of  the  slums;  they  are  likewise  to  be  found  in  large 
numbers  in   the  mansions  on  the  boulevards. 

DOMESTIC    EMANCIPATION THE    SIMPLE    LIFE    FOR    THE    HOME 

The  life  of  the  average  housewife  and  mother  is  too  often 
made  one  of  unnecessary  drudgery  and  useless  anxiety.  In 
the  modern  home  life  there  is  altogether  too  much  of  a  ten- 
dency to  confuse  the  tasks  which  are  secondary  in  importance 
with  those  duties  which  are  essential  and  vital.  Housekeeping 
is  made  burdensome  by  the  necessity  of  giving  attention  to  a 
hundred  trifles,  the  utter  neglect  of  which  would  in  no  wise 
interfere  with  the  happiness  and  usefulness  of  the  home  life. 
Remember  that  the  house  is  not  the  home  —  the  home  is  made 
by  the  character  and  spirit  of  the  people  who  live  in  the  house. 
Do  not  forget  the  value  of  the  porch,  the  yard,  the  garden  — 
and  the  children. 

Let  us  not  make  the  mistake  of  keeping  the  younger  mem- 
bers of  the  family  in  a  state  of  constant  worry  by  our  inces- 
santly nagging  them  because  of  their  peculiarities  of  character 
and  individuality  of  dress,  or  their  particular  way  of  making 
their  toilet  or  combing  their  hair.  Let  the  mothers  also  exhibit 
their  independence  and  individuality  in  the  matter  of  house 
decoration,  and  in  the  arrangement  of  the   furnishings.     Why 


500      THE  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  FAITH  'AND  FEAR 

should  we  dress  our  persons  or  arrange  our  house  without  re- 
gard to  our  personal  tastes  and  desires,  simply  because  it  is 
the  current  fashion?  It  is  certainly  time  that  the  spirit  of  in- 
dependence should  begin  to  characterize  the  domestic  life  of 
the  civilized  races. 

Too  often  business  necessity  and  social  demands  are  per- 
mitted to  crush  out  the  family  life.  We  have  time  for  business 
engagements  and  social  entertainments,  but  no  time  for  hus- 
band and  wife  to  devote  to  each  other  or  to  their  children. 
Too  often  the  home  life  is  only  a  half-way  house  in  the  social 
struggle  for  recognition  and  preeminence.  Parents  not  in- 
frequently become  strangers  to  each  other;  and  in  our  great 
cities,  among  the  social  set,  children  (in  families  where  they 
are  to  be  found)  become  veritable  strangers  to  their  parents. 

How  long  before  otherwise  intelligent  men  and  women  will 
dare  to  recognize  the  folly  of  false  etiquette  and  the  useless- 
ness  of  the  extreme  demands  of.  modern  civilized  society? 
Instead  of  running  our  children  into  the  stereotyped  social 
mould  of  life,  why  not  encourage  the  development  of  the  indi- 
viduality and  temperament  of  each  child?  And  it  is  in  this 
connection  that  our  modern  stereotyped  methods  of  education 
become  apparent.  Why  should  children  be  compelled  to  pass 
through  a  routine  system  of  education,  and  allowed  to  exercise 
their  talents  only  in  certain  specified  lines?  Let  us  hope 
that  the  educational  systems  of  the  future  will  make  provision 
for  the  individual  growth  and  development  of  the  child. 

MORAL    EMANCIPATION THE   SIMPLE   LIFE   FOR   THE    SOUL 

The  author's  purpose  in  writing  this  book  has  been  to  afford 
a  scientific  foundation  for  the  cultivation  of  faith  and  the 
elimination  of  fear  It  has  been  our  aim  to  furnish  a  rational 
basis  for  the  encouragement  of  faith  and  hope.  We  deplore 
every  false  and  untrue  method  of  generating  faith;  neverthe- 
less we  are  bound  to  recognize  that  the  average  man  would 
prefer  a  wild  and  baseless  hope  to  the  most  scientific  and 
approved  form  of  "  rational  despair."  After  looking  at  the 
question  from  every  possible  standpoint,  we  are  bound  to 
conclude  that  man  is  incurably  religious  —  his  mental,  moral, 
and    spiritual   life   demands   the    consolation,   the    inspiration. 


THE  EMANCIPATED  LIFE  501 

and  the  restraint  of  religious  faith.  In  our  worthy  efforts  to 
satisfy  this  natural  spiritual  craving,  the  time  has  certainly 
come  when  we  should  begin  to  emancipate  ourselves  from 
slavery  to  the  groundless  beliefs  and  superstitious  vagaries  of 
past  generations. 

Modern  civilization  is  cursed  with  the  blight  of  selfishness. 
It  stands  in  imminent  danger  of  that  social  decay  which  inev- 
itably follows  upon  the  heels  of  self-seeking  and  industrial 
oppression. 

We  need  to  recognize  the  necessity  for  nourishing  the  moral 
nature  and  exercising  the  soul:  the  spiritual  nutrition  must 
not  be  neglected.  Further,  we  are  forced  to  recognize  that  the 
health  of  the  soul  is  tremendously  influenced  by  the  bodily 
state,  and  vice  versa. 

Let  us  recognize  that  real  moral  freedom  and  genuine  spir- 
itual liberty  in  no  wise  lead  to  infidelity  or  atheism.  Let  us 
have  a  conscience  void  of  offence  toward  God  and  toward 
man ;  and  the  author's  advice  to  his  every  reader  is  —  if  you  do 
not  have  a  good  religion,  get  one.  If  you  have  a  religion  and  it 
has  not  so  changed  you  as  to  effect  your  emancipation  frorti 
fear  and  worry,  then  we  would  advise  that  you  change  your 
religion  and  get  one  that  will. 


APPENDIX 


APPENDIX  A 

ANATOMY    AND   PHYSIOLOGY   OF   THE   BRAIN 
AND  NERVOUS   SYSTEM 

IT  is  highly  essential  in  the  study  of  mental  hygiene,  that 
one  should  have  a  practical  knowledge  of  the  form  and 
function  of  the  brain  and  nervous  system. 

THE    HUMAN     BRAIN 

The  human  brain  consists  of  three  parts:  The  cerebrum  or 
fore  brain,  the  cerebellum  or  hind  brain,  and  the  medulla  ob- 
longata. The  brain  substance  consists  of  the  cell  bodies  of 
untold  thousands  of  little  nerve  cells  with  their  numerous 
nerve  processes  or  fibres. 

The  brain  is  covered  by  three  membranes  known  as 
meninges.  One  is  a  fibrous  substance  lining  the  interior  of 
the  skull  and  extending  down  and  around  the  spinal  cord.  In- 
side of  this  is  a  loose  meshwork  of  delicate  fibres,  the  spider- 
web  membrane  or  arachnoid.  The  third  or  inner  membrane 
consists  of  a  thin  delicate  structure  resting  directly  upon  the 
brain  substance.  There  is  found  a  meshwork  of  small  blood 
vessels   within   the   inner  membrane. 

The  weight  of  the  adult  brain  is  about  fifty  ounces.  That 
is  the  weight  of  the  male  brain ;  the  female  brain  weighs  about 
six  ounces  less.  The  cerebrum  or  higher  brain  is  divided 
into  two  hemispheres,  each  of  which  is  further  divided  into 
numerous  lobes.  Each  lobe  is  the  seat  of  some  special  intel- 
lectual process,  or  the  headquarters  of  some  particular  bodily 
function. 

The  brain  is  richly  supplied  with  blood  vessels  and  also  con- 
tains many  lymph  channels.  At  the  base  of  the  brain,  these 
blood  vessels  form  a  perfect  circle,  which  allows  of  the  free 
and  even  distribution  of  the  blood  and  the  equalization  of  its 
pressure. 

The  cerebrum  is  composed  of  gray  matter  and  white  matter. 

505 


5o6  APPENDIX 

The  gray  matter  is  found  in  two  groups.  That  of  the  cortex 
or  outside  of  the  brain,  and  that  found  in  the  basal  ganglia. 
The  white  matter  of  the  brain  consists  of  nerve  fibres,  while 
the  gray  matter  is  largely  composed  of  nerve  cells. 

The  basal  ganglia  are  small  collections  of  nerve  matter  at 
the  base  of  the  brain,  which  have  to  do  with  the  regulaticm  of 
many  special  functions.  There  are  three  great  principal 
groups  of  basal  ganglia.  Three  great  groups  of  nerve  fibres 
are  also  found  in  the  cerebrum,  which  carry  the  messages  to 
and  from  that  important  higher  centre  of  the  mind. 

These  basal  ganglia  serve  as  sort  of  middlemen,  or  private 
secretaries,  to  the  brain  centres.  When  certain  physical  acts, 
such  as  walking  or  writing,  are  frequently  performed,  the 
basal  ganglia  acquire  the  ability  of  carrying  on  these  habitual 
movements  without  taxing  the  higher  brain  centres,  it  being 
only  necessary  to  start  the  process  by  orders  from  the  special 
mind  centres.  This  accounts  for  the  formation  of  many  hab- 
its, both  good  and  bad,  and  also  explains  why  it  is  so  difficult 
to  break  oneself  of  a  habit  when  once  it  is  formed. 

The  pons  varolii  is  the  bridge  of  brain  matter  which  unites 
the  various  other  parts  of  the  brain,  connecting  the  cerebrum 
with  the  cerebellum  and  the  medulla  oblongata. 

The  cerebellum  is  also  composed  of  gray  and  white  matter. 
It  lies  at  the  back  part  of  the  base  of  the  skull,  while  the 
medulla  oblongata,  the  lowest  division  of  the  brain,  is  in  re- 
ality the  top  of  the  spinal  cord.  It  forms  the  union  of  the 
spinal  cord  and  the  brain.  The  medulla  is  very  properly  placed 
at  the  top  of  the  spine,  for  it  is  indeed  the  head  and  ruler  of 
all  the  magnificent  and  marvellously  adapted  mechanism  of 
the  spinal  nervous  system.  Any  injury  to  this  important 
centre  would  prove  more  surely  fatal  than  to  any  other  portion  of 
the  brain.  The  medulla  literally  holds  the  reins  of  life ;  it  also 
acts  in  the  role  of  intermediary  between  the  brain  centres 
above,  and  the  spinal  centres  below. 

FUNCTIONS    OF   THE   BRAIN 

The  various  centres  of  feeling  and  voluntary  action  are 
found  on  the  outside  and  superficial  portions  of  the  brain. 
The  centres  of  thought  action  are  located  over  to  the  front, 


APPENDIX  507 

while  the  centres  controlling  muscular  action  are  located 
toward  the  middle  of  the  brain.  The  brain  centres  for  the 
eye,  ear,  and  nose  are  rather  to  the  back  and  lower  part. 

The  reader  should  not  get  the  idea  that  there  are  certain 
minute  circumscribed  portions  of  the  brain  which  are  known 
to  be  connected  with  certain  mental  powers  or  physical  move- 
ments. We  possess  no  such  exact  knowledge  respecting  the 
brain  centres;  but  physiologists  do  know  in  a  general  way  the 
particular  portions  of  the  brain  which  are  concerned  in  many 
definite  mental  and  physical  actions,  such  as  writing,  seeing, 
hearing,  walking,  talking,  and  word-remembering  (See  Fig. 
i),  and  so  it  often  occurs  that  in  brain  tumors  and  certain 
forms  of  epilepsy,  the  part  of  the  body  first  to  engage  in  the 
muscular  contractions  which  immediately  precede  the  con- 
vulsions, often  indicates  quite  accurately  the  location  of  the 
tumor  or  other  disturbance  in  the  brain. 

The  nerves  passing  from  the  brain  or  going  to  it  through 
the  spinal  column,  are  either  sensory  or  motor  nerves.  The 
sensory  nerves  carry  impressions  from  the  skin,  the  muscles, 
the  special  organs  of  sense,  and  from  various  other  parts  of 
the  body  to  the  brain  centres;  while  the  motor  nerves  carry 
motor  impulses  from  the  brain  to  the  muscles  and  various 
other  organs. 

THE   SPINAL    CORD 

From  the  medulla  oblongata,  the  spinal  cord  continues 
downward  in  the  spinal  canal  of  the  backbone.  It  is  about 
eighteen  inches  long,  and  is  composed  of  gray  matter  and 
white  matter,  the  gray  matter  being  inside  of  the  cord  instead 
of  on  the  outside  as  in  the  case  of  the  brain.  The  spinal  cord 
has  three  protecting  membranes,  the  same  as  the  brain,  inflam- 
mation of  which  is  known  as  spinal  meningitis. 

The  white  fibres  of  the  spinal  cord  are  gathered  together 
into  six  clearly  defined  bundles  on  either  side,  each  of  which 
carries  on  a  special  work  in  the  transmission  of  nerve  im- 
pulses to  and  from  the  brain.  The  spinal  nerves  come  out 
from  the  cord  on  each  side  and  form  thirty-one  pairs.  Each 
nerve  arises  from  two  roots,  an  anterior  or  motor  root,  and 
a  posterior  or  sensory  root,  the  latter  having  associated  with 


5o8  APPENDIX 

it  a  special  nerve  mass  or  body  called  the  spinal  ganglion. 
In  addition  to  these  thirty-one  pairs  of  nerves  branching  out 
from  the  spinal  cord,  it  should  be  remembered  that  we  have 
twelve  pairs  or  sets  of  cranial  nerves  which  originate  in  the 
brain.  The  special  function  of  each,  according  to  number,  is 
as  follows: 

1.  Olfactory  —  the  nerve  of  smell. 

2.  Optic  —  the  nerve  of  sight. 

3.  Motor  Oculi  —  moves  the  eyeball. 

4.  Patheticus  —  moves  the  eyeball. 

5.  Tri-facial  —  the  nerve  of   facial   sensation  and  motion, 
sending  branches  to  the  tear  duct  and  muscles  of  expression. 

6.  Abducens  —  moves  the  eyeball. 

7.  Facial  nerve  —  the  motor  nerve  of  the  face.     It  has  a 
branch  which  is  concerned  in  the  sense  of  taste. 

8.  Auditory  —  the  nerve  of  hearing. 

9.  Glossopharyngeal  —  associated  largely  with  the  sense  of 
taste. 

10.  The  pneumogastric  —  contains  both  motor  and  sensory 
fibres.  Its  branches  are  distributed  to  the  coverings  of  the 
brain,  to  the  ear,  the  pharynx,  the  voice-box,  the  heart,  the 
lungs,  the  gullet,  the  stomach,  and  the  liver.  This  nerve  is  also 
known  as  the  vagus. 

11.  Spinal  accessory  —  acts  on  the  soft  palate  and  certain 
muscles. 

12.  Hypoglossal  —  this  nerve  is  notable  in  that  it  moves  the 
tongue:  it  is  the  talking-nerve. 

REFLEX    ACTION 

The  nerves  passing  back  and  forth  across  the  spinal  col- 
umn, connecting  the  various  incoming  and  outgoing  nerve- 
tracts,  serve  the  purpose  of  creating  a  short-cut  for  the 
passage  of  nerve  impulses.  For  instance,  if  one  touches  a  hot 
stove  unawares,  the  impressions  of  burning  and  danger  do  not 
have  to  pass  to  the  higher  centres  in  order  to  secure  the  in- 
stantaneous withdrawal  of  the  hand.  The  sensation  of  pain 
in  the  finger  is  immediately  flashed  over  the  sensory  nerves 
to  the  spinal  cord,  and  here,  by  means  of  this  cross-nervous 
connection,  reflex  action  takes  place.     That  is,  the  nerves  pass- 


APPENDIX  509 

ing  to  the  muscles  controlling  the  hand  are  immediately  ex- 
cited, and  at  once  despatch  the  necessary  orders  to  the  proper 
muscles  to  withdraw  the  hand  from  danger.  This  constitutes 
reflex  action,  and  practically  all  the  muscles  of  the  body  have 
their  reflex  centres  in  the  spinal  column.     (See  Fig.  2.) 

This  explains  how  we  can  close  the  eye  without  thinking, 
when  danger  threatens.  It  is  also  by  this  reflex  action  that 
we  cough  to  remove  the  mucus  from  the  throat,  sneeze  to 
throw  irritating  substances  out  of  the  nose,  and  vomit  to 
empty  the  stomach  when  nauseated. 

Nerve  impressions  from  the  skin  or  other  organs  of  special 
sensation  may  excite  a  muscle  or  group  of  muscles  to  action 
in  different  ways.  The  sensory  impulses  may  pass  up  the 
spinal  cord  to  the  conscious  sensory  centres  of  the  cerebrum 
over  the  long  circuit  and  excite  to  action  the  conscious  motor 
centres  of  the  upper  brain.     (See  Fig.  2.) 

The  majority  of  common  and  habitual  nerve  impressions  do 
not  travel  this  long  circuit;  they  go  by  the  automatic  or  short 
circuit  to  the  basal  ganglia  where  they  are  received,  and  where 
they  set  in  motion  the  motor  nerves  going  down  from  the 
brain  to  the  muscles,  just  as  effectually  as  if  the  inpulses  had 
been  carried  to  the  conscious  brain  centres.     (See  Fig.  2.) 

Again,  we  possess  certain  natural  reflexes,  reflexes  asso- 
ciated with  breathing  and  the  circulation,  whose  sensory  im- 
pulses are  transferred  to  the  motor  nerves  in  the  medulla. 
The  cerebellum  contains  reflex  centres  which  regulate  posture 
and  equilibrium. 

Lastly,  we  have  the  involuntary  spinal  reflex  centres  pre- 
viously mentioned.  A  study  of  the  diagram  (Fig.  2.)  will  make 
these  various  nerve  paths  perfectly  plain. 

Every  muscle  of  the  body  is  controlled  by  these  lowly  cen- 
tres of  the  spine.  Not  a  single  muscle  is  directly  controlled 
by  the  lofty  motor  cells  of  the  upper  brain.  The  spinal  cord 
can  truly  say  to  the  brain,  "  If  you  wish  to  move  a  hand  or  a 
foot,  you  must  ask  me  to  do  it  for  you.'*  "  All  right,'*  answer 
the  higher  centres  of  the  brain.  "  We  recognize  our  dependence 
upon  you,  but  see  to  it  that  you  don't  move  hand  or  foot  unless 
we  tell  you  to."  And  so  the  orders  come  from  the  brain,  while 
action  proceeds  from  the  spine. 


510 


APPENDIX 


THE   NERVES 

The  nervous  system  is  in  reality  a  continuation  or  extension 
of  the  brain  and  spinal  cord.  Each  pair  of  nerves  branching 
out  from  the  spinal  cord  is  divided  into  an  anterior  and  a  pos- 
terior root,  branches  of  which  eventually  encircle  the  entire 
body,  extending  out  to  the  arms  and  hands,  and  down  to  the 
legs  and  feet.  (See  Fig.  3.)  The  entire  nervous  system  — 
brain,  spinal  cord,  and  nerve  branches  —  are  all  composed  of 
certain  little  individual  cells  or  nerve-units  called  neurons. 

The  neuron  consists  of  a  cell  body  and  its  processes  or 
branches.  Every  neuron  possesses  one  branch  for  transmitting 
outgoing  impulses.  This  branch  is  called  the  axone,  neuraxone, 
or  neurite.  Most  neurons  possess  one  or  more  branches  which 
bring  afferent  impulses  toward  the  cell  body.  These  afferent 
branches  are  called  dendrites.  Sensory  impressions  received 
by  the  sensory  nerve-endings  in  the  skin  are  transmitted  over 
afferent  fibres  to  the  cells  in  the  posterior  root  ganglion  of  the 
spinal  cord.  Thence  by  way  of  the  axonic  branch  into  the 
spinal  cord  where  they  may  be  transmitted  either  to  a  spinal 
motor  neuron  to  form  the  reflex  arc,  or  transmitted  through 
sensory    tracts    to    the    sensory    centres    of    the   brain.      (See 

Fig.   3-) 

It  would  thus  appear  that  the  nerve  paths  from  any  part  of 
the  body  to  the  brain  are  not  continuous.  From  no  part  of  the 
body  can  nerve  impressions  passing  through  the  spinal  cord 
reach  the  brain  over  a  continuous  tract.  Nerve  impulses  must 
ordinarily  pass  over  from  one  to  three  different  nerves  in 
reaching  the  brain  centres. 

Nerve  impressions  are  received  and  originated  by  the  gray 
matter  of  the  brain  and  spinal  cord.  All  ganglia  contain  this 
gray  matter,  the  cell-bodies  of  nerves,  or  neurons.  These 
nerve  cells  have  nuclei,  and  are  held  together  by  a  sort  of 
connective  tissue  which  serves  as  a  groundwork  or  bed,  and  is 
called  neuroglia.  In  certain  nervous  diseases  and  toxic  states 
of  the  blood  this  neuroglia  tissue  is  irritated,  whereupon  it 
begins  to  contract  down  like  scar  tissue  and  squeezes  the  very 
life  out  of  the  nervous  system,  resulting  in  various  nervous 
diseases,  such  as  spinal  sclerosis. 


APPENDIX  511 

The  white  nerve  fibres  consist  of  two  kinds.  Those  which 
are  covered  by  a  sheath,  which  serves  as  a  sort  of  insulation, 
and  which  may  be  compared  to  the  rubber  or  gutta-percha 
insulation  of  electric  wires;  and  other  fibres  which  are  not 
thus  insulated.  All  nerves  are  supplied  with  special  blood 
vessels. 

All  up  and  down  the  spinal  column,  nerve  branches  cross 
back  and  forth  between  the  various  nerve  tracts,  while  the  great 
majority  of  all  the  nerve  fibres  cross  from  one  side  to  the  other 
as  they  are  leaving  the  spinal  column  and  entering  the 
brain.  This  explains  why  a  blood  clot  on  the  right  side  of 
the  brain  produces  paralysis  on  the  left  side  of  the  body. 

Nerve  impulses  are  carried  back  and  forth,  to  and  from  the 
nerve  centres,  by  currents  of  neuricity,  a  mysterious  energy, 
which,  in  many  respects,  resembles  electricity,  and  which  can 
be  measured  and  studied  much  the  same  as  electrical  currents. 
It  probably  is  a  form  of  electricity. 

TRANSMISSION    OF    NERVE    IMPULSES 

Physiologists  have  devised  ingenious  instruments  for  meas- 
uring the  rate  of  transmission  of  nerve  impulses.  Going  up  a 
sensory  nerve  to  the  brain,  nerve  impulses  move  about  180 
feet  a  second,  while  coming  down  a  motor  nerve  from  the 
brain,  the  impulses  travel  only  about  160  feet  a  second.  While 
neuricity  in  many  ways  resembles  electricity,  they  are  very 
different  in  their  rates  of  transmission,  for  in  the  time  neu- 
ricity is  moving  less  than  200  feet,  an  electrical  current  tra- 
verses a  copper  wire   180,000  miles. 

This  difference  in  the  rate  of  transmission  of  what  are 
thought  to  be  identical  forces,  is  partly  explained  by  the  fact 
that  the  electricity  is  travelling  over  an  inanimate  copper  wire, 
while  the  neuricity  or  nerve  impulse  is  travelling  over  a  live 
thinking  wire.  That  this  is  the  case  is  clearly  shown  by  the 
fact  that  when  an  incoming  nerve  impulse  reaches  a  nerve 
centre,  a  marked  and  measurable  delay  occurs  before  the 
outgoing  impulse  is  despatched  from  the  centre.  A  physiolo- 
gist has  explained  it  thus: 

"  The  advent  of  an  afferent  impression  by  the  afferent  nerve  is  a 
busy  time  for  the  centre,  during  which  many  processes,  of  which  we 


512  APPENDIX 

have  very  little  exact  knowledge,  are  being  carried  on  in  it.  It 
takes  some  time  to  deliberate  what  it  will  do.  The  shortest  period 
of  a  reflex  act  has  also  been  measured  in  a  few  simple  reflex  arcs, 
only  to  show  that  the  delay  at  the  centre  exceeds  in  time  both 
afferent  inflow  and  efferent  outflow.  Hence,  when  several  nerve 
centres  have  to  adjust  themselves  to  know  what  they  are  all  to  do 
about  some  afferent  excitation,  one  centre  sometimes  inhibiting  the 
others  during  the  process,  the  final  outcome  may  seem  to  be  a  very 
deliberate  affair.  Without  knowing  it,  therefore,  a  man  may  have 
good  physiology  in  his  exclamation,  *If  only  I  had  stopped  to 
think  ! ' " 

ENERGY    GRANULES 

When  the  healthy  nerve  is  rested,  as  in  the  morning  after  a 
good  night's  sleep,  the  cell-body,  under  the  microscope,  is 
found  filled  with  large  numbers  of  small  sand-like  granules 
(Nisei's  granules).  These  granules  are  believed  to  represent 
the  energy  accumulated  during  rest  and  sleep.  As  the  nerve 
begins  its  day's  work,  and  as  the  day  wears  on,  these  granules 
gradually  disappear,  until  at  night,  when  the  body  is  fatigued 
and  the  brain  is  sleepy,  the  nerve  cells  are  found  to  be  practi- 
cally free  from  these  little  granules,  all  their  energy  having 
been  used  up.     (See  Fig.  4.) 

It  would  seem  that  the  nerve  cells  during  rest  and  sleep  actu- 
ally accumulate  energy,  and  these  little  sand-like  granules 
might  fittingly  be  compared  to  a  minute  storage  battery  or  to 
a  chemical  powder,  the  explosion  of  which  generates  waves  of 
nerve  or  electrical  energy,  which  flash  over  its  branches, 
carrying  the  messages  which  the  thinking  part  of  the  cell  orig- 
inates; for  each  little  cell-body  must  be  regarded  as  a  small 
brain. 

The  fibril  network  of  the  cell  is  thought  to  be  the  cell's 
nervous  system.  (See  Fig.  5.)  The  larger  brain  of  the  skull, 
and  the  great  solar  plexus  of  the  abdomen,  are  merely  vast 
collections  of  untold  millions  of  these  tiny  nerve  cells  or  brain 
bodies.  The  collecting  together  of  their  long  branches  and 
their  arrangement  in  bundles  or  cables,  creates  the  spinal  cord, 
containing  numerous  separate  bundles  of  nerves,  part  of  which 
go  up  to  the  brain  and  part  of  which  come  down. 


FIG.  6.-  The  Srmpathatic  Nerwous  5rstem, 


APPENDIX  513 

THE    SYMPATHETIC    NERVOUS    SYSTEM 

While  the  nerves  coming  from  the  brain  and  spinal  cord  are 
more  largely  concerned  v^rith  the  body's  sensations,  muscular 
movements,  and  voluntary  acts;  all  the  vital  processes  of  the 
body  including  breathing,  the  circulation  of  the  blood,  diges- 
tion, and  elimination,  are  very  largely  regulated  by  the 
involuntary  or  sympathetic  nervous  system.  This  special 
system  of  nerves  is  formed  by  a  double  chain  of  nerve  masses 
or  ganglia  vrhich  are  connected  together  by  intervening  cords, 
and  extend  down  on  either  side  of  the  spinal  column  from  a 
small  point  of  origin  near  the  base  of  the  skull  to  near  the 
end  of  the  spine. 

Branches  from  this  system  are  found  in  all  the  ganglia  con- 
nected with  the  voluntary  or  central  nervous  system. 

Special  collections  of  sympathetic  nerve  matter  are  found 
in  various  parts  of  the  body,  especially  in  the  chest  and  pelvis 
and  more  notably  in  the  abdomen,  where  is  found  the  solar 
plexus,  or  abdominal  brain.  Similar  nerve  masses  or  ganglia 
of  the  sympathetic  system  are  also  found  in  the  walls  of  all  the 
internal  organs. 

The  solar  plexus  is  the  greatest  collection  of  nerve  matter 
to  be  found  in  the  body  outside  of  the  skull.  It  consists  of  a 
great  network  of  nerves  and  ganglia  and  is  found  deep-seated 
in  the  abdomen  in  the  region  of  the  lower  border  of  the  stom- 
ach. It  receives  branches  from  the  pneumogastric  of  the 
voluntary  nervous  system  in  addition  to  the  sympathetic  nerves, 
and  distributes  many  fibres  to  all  the  vital  organs  of  the  abdo- 
men.    (See  Fig.  6.) 

These  chains  of  sympathetic  nerve  ganglia  on  either  side 
of  the  spine,  and  which  extend  down  into  the  cavities  of  the 
chest  and  abdomen,  are  connected  by  cross  branches,  while 
throughout  the  body,  the  two  nervous  systems  make  numerous 
contacts,  often  by  means  of  certain  special  relay  stations,  pre- 
viously described  under  the  terra  ganglia. 

FUNCTION    OF    THE    SYMPATHETIC    SYSTEM 

The  sympathetic  nervous  system  has  its  headquarters  in  the 
abdomen  —  in  the  "  abdominal  brain."  The  sympathetic  nerves 
spread  to  every  part  of  the  body,  especially  to  the  so-called 


514  APPENDIX 

vital  organs,  which  have  to  do  with  the  maintenance  and  regu- 
lation of  life.  They  control  the  heart,  blood  vessels,  lungs, 
stomach,  liver,  kidneys,  and  bowels. 

It  is  apparent  that  man  has  two  brains  —  two  nervous  sys- 
tems. He  has  two  sources  from  which  come  orders  to  regulate 
and  control  the  body;  and  it  is  well  that  this  is  so,  for  such  an 
arrangement  makes  it  quite  impossible  for  human  beings  rashly 
to  commit  suicide  by  stopping  the  heart  or  ceasing  to  breathe. 

You  can  stop  breathing  for  a  few  seconds,  but  as  soon  as 
enough  carbonic  acid  gas  (CO2)  collects  in  the  blood,  the 
respiratory  centres  are  excited,  imperative  orders  to  breathe 
are  sent  to  the  lungs,  and  you  can  no  longer  hold  your  breath. 
You  may  give  orders  to  the  heart  to  stop  beating,  but  it  will 
not  obey.  About  seventy  times  a  minute  it  receives  the  com- 
mand of  the  cardiac  nerve  centres  to  beat,  and  in  faithfulness 
it  responds.  Only  within  certain  limits  can  you  increase  or 
decrease  its  beat,  and  then,  as  a  rule,  only  by  increasing  or  de- 
creasing the  necessity  therefor. 

The  further  wisdom  of  this  dual  nervous  system  is  shown 
by  the  fact  that  the  mind  and  muscle  of  man  wear  out  from 
the  day's  work.  Sleep  is  absolutely  necessary  to  muscular 
recuperation,  mental  rest,  and  to  enable  the  nerve  cells  to  re- 
assemble their  disappearing  energy  granules.  But  while  the 
man  is  asleep,  the  functions  of  heart  and  lungs,  as  well  as  the 
work  of  digestion  and  nutrition,  must  of  necessity  go  on  with- 
out interruption,  and  this  is  made  possible  by  the  fact  that 
these  organs  of  life  and  nutrition  are  largely  under  the  control 
of  the  sympathetic  nervous  system,  which  neither  slumbers 
nor  sleeps  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave. 

So  a  man  may  take  his  required  rest  and  slumber  on  in  un- 
conscious sleep,  but  all  the  while  the  ever-watchful  sentinels 
of  the  sympathetic  nerve  centres  carry  on  the  vital  functions 
of  the  body  without  interruption  —  never  the  loss  of  a  single 
heart-beat  or  the  lapse  of  one  respiratory  cycle. 

FUNCTION    OF   THE    SPECIAL    SENSES 

The  special  functions  of  the  body  are  carried  on  and  regu- 
lated by  the  organs  of  special  sense,  special  nervous  mechan- 
isms, such  as  those  of  the  eye,  ear,  tongue,  nose,  and  the  sense 
of  touch. 


'APPENDIX  515 

1.  SIGHT.  The  camera,  by  the  action  of  sunlight  on  silver 
salts,  takes  pictures  in  black,  or  shadow.  The  construction  of 
the  eye  is  somewhat  after  the  fashion  of  the  camera,  except 
that  the  pictures  of  the  eye  appear  in  white,  and  every  color 
of  the  object  observed  is  actually  reproduced.  The  pigment 
or  paint  for  the  coloring  of  objects  on  the  retina  of  the  eye  is 
similar  to  that  found  in  the  bodies  of  the  dead  red  blood  cor- 
puscles in  the  liver. 

As  the  form  and  color  of  objects  seen  through  the  eye 
change,  the  pictures  painted  upon  the  retina  must  also  be 
changed.  It  requires  time  for  the  invisible  artist  constantly 
painting  these  pictures,  to  change  the  outlines,  and  this  ex- 
plains why  the  projecting  spokes  of  the  rapidly  revolving 
wheel  present  a  solid  appearance,  and  also  why  a  bright  object, 
when  viewed  for  some  time,  can  be  seen  for  a  moment  after 
turning  away  from  it.  It  takes  time  to  efface  the  pictures  upon 
the  retina  and  produce  others  in  their  place. 

By  means  of  the  nerves  passing  from  the  retina  of  the  eye 
to  the  sight  centre  of  the  brain,  all  pictures  appearing  in  the 
eye  are  reproduced  in  the  brain.  Modern  science  has  achieved 
the  wonderful  feat  of  communicating  a  photograph  by  elec- 
tricity over  a  wire  for  hundreds  of  miles,  but  this  wonderful 
accomplishment  has  existed  in  the  normal  eye  and  mind  since 
the  dawn  of  creation.  Another  mystery  about  sight  is  that  the 
objects  seen  actually  appear  on  the  retina  of  the  eye  upside 
down,  and  yet,  when  transmitted  to  the  sight  centres  of  the 
brain,  everything  is  suddenly  and  wonderfully  reversed  and 
appears  right  side  up. 

2.  HEARING.  The  ear  is  a  sort  of  trumpet-like  expansion 
designed  to  collect  sound  waves.  Immediately  connected  with 
the  drum  are  found  several  little  bones  so  arranged  as  to  mag- 
nify the  sound,  somewhat  after  the  fashion  of  the  transmitting 
devices  of  the  modern  telephone.  There  is  also  a  provision  for 
decreasing  the  intensity  of  sound  when  too  loud.  The  most 
wonderful  part  of  the  ear  is  the  organ  of  Corti,  which  re- 
produces the  sound  for  the  recognition  of  the  hearing  cen- 
tres. This  wonderful  little  organ  acts  after  the  manner  of  the 
membrane  in  the  transmitter  of  a  telephone  whose  vibrations 
reproduce  tones  of  varying  intensity  and  complexity. 


5i6  APPENDIX 

While  asleep,  the  eyes  of  necessity  are  closed,  but  the  ears 
are  never  closed.  When  sound  asleep,  the  hearing  is  in  func- 
tion, but  the  hearing  centres  have  been  so  trained  that  they 
will  not  respond  to  ordinary  sounds  that  are  heard  during 
sleep.  They  are  aroused  only  by  the  extraordinary  or  un- 
usual. This  fact  probably  explains  the  curious  interweaving 
of  certain  sounds  heard  at  night  into  the  dreams. 

3.  SMELLING.  The  sense  of  smell  has  its  end  organs  in 
the  nose,  and  special  centres  in  the  brain.  It  is  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  of  the  special  senses.  It  is  highly  developed  in 
many  of  the  lower  animals  (as  in  the  dog),  but  poorly  devel- 
oped in  modern  man.  The  nose  seems  to  be  able  to  recognize 
an  almost  unlimited  number  of  odors;  but  while  light  waves, 
sound  waves,  and  substances  tasted,  have  been  carefully  classi- 
fied, strange  to  say,  no  one  has  ever  been  able  to  classify  odors. 
We  usually  describe  what  we  smell  by  comparing  it  with  some- 
thing else.  If  the  sense  of  smell  were  normal  and  the  person 
smelling  were  healthy,  in  connection  with  the  sense  of  taste, 
this  special  sense  would  probably  serve  as  a  fairly  reliable 
guide  to  the  selection  of  proper  and  wholesome  food,  and  the 
avoidance  of  poisons  and  other  dangers.  The  sense  of  smell 
is  greatly  injured  by  the  use  of  snuff,  by  tobacco-smoking,  and 
by  constantly  living  in  polluted  atmospheres,  or  by  the  inhala- 
tion of  air  containing  poisonous  and  irritating  gases. 

4.  TASTE.  The  sense  of  taste  is  connected  with  the  mouth 
and  tongue,  more  largely  the  latter.  We  really  have  but  four 
tastes:  bitter,  sweet,  sour,  and  salty.  Apparently  we  enjoy 
other  tastes,  but  in  reality  we  smell  many  of  the  substances 
which  we  think  we  taste.  The  enjoyment  connected  with  the 
sense  of  taste,  therefore,  is  largely  dependent  upon  the  sense 
of  smell.  For  instance,  when  one  eats  an  onion,  he  appar- 
ently tastes  many  flavors;  but  if  one  will  hold  his  nose  while 
eating  the  onion,  or  eat  it  when  suffering  from  a  very  bad 
cold,  it  will  be  found  to  be  almost  tasteless.  The  sense  of 
taste,  inasmuch  as  it  indirectly  regulates  digestion  and  nutri- 
tion, is  one  of  the  most  important  of  all  the  special  senses. 

5.  THE  SENSE  OF  TOUCH.  The  sense  of  touch  is  lo- 
cated throughout  the  skin  and  is  commonly  made  to  include 


APPENDIX  517 

the  special  senses  of  temperature,  weight,  and  location.  It 
consists  of  a  vast  network  of  nerves  which  end  in  the  skin, 
and  which  are  reflexly  connected  with  the  spinal  centres  which 
control  the  muscles.  This  sense  is  also  connected  with  certain 
higher  centres  of  recognition  in  the  brain. 

The  function  of  the  special  senses  connected  with  touch  is 
constantly  to  report  to  the  higher  nerve  centres  the  condition 
of  the  substance  touched,  with  respect  to  temperature,  danger, 
contact,  and  station. 


APPENDIX    B 
A  CASE  OF  CHRONOLOGICAL   MEMORY 

AT  the  time  the  following  observations  were  made,  the  sub- 
ject, Mr.  C,  was  about  thirty  years  of  age.  His  general 
health  was  apparently  good,  and  he  had  never  passed  through 
any  severe  illness.  Four  years  before  these  observations  Mr.  C. 
had  engaged  in  a  scuffle  with  an  armed  man  and  was  dealt  a 
severe  blow  on  the  head  with  a  gunstock.  A  short  time  after 
this  accident  he  developed  a  typical  case  of  Jacksonian  epi- 
lepsy. Immediately  after  each  attack  the  patient  seemed  to 
be  in  more  or  less  of  a  dazed  condition,  during  which  time  he 
would  often  engage  in  unusual  and  extraordinary  escapades, 
even  to  the  extent  of  going  out  on  the  streets  at  night  and 
holding  up  pedestrians  at  the  point  of  a  revolver.  As  time 
passed  these  attacks  of  post-epileptic  insanity  grew  more  and 
more  severe,  and  lasted  for  a  longer  period  of  time. 

During  these  periods  of  mental  aberration  following  his 
epileptic  attacks,  the  patient  would  wander  away  from  home, 
sometimes  being  absent  from  one  to  three  days.  It  was  during 
one  of  these  periods,  when  he  was  aimlessly  wandering  about 
town,  that  he  was  picked  up  and  brought  to  the  institution, 
where  the  author  was  permitted  to  make  the  observations  here 
recorded.  The  patient  was  at  this  time  also  under  the  observa- 
tion of  Dr.  W.  B.  Holden. 

Shortly  after  being  placed  in  his  bed  and  under  guard,  the 
patient  began  to  talk  in  an  apparently  rational  and  chrono- 
logical manner.  His  eyes  seldom  moved,  his  stare  was  fixed 
and  concentrated  straight  ahead.  It  was  soon  apparent  that 
he  was  relating  a  section  of  his  life-experience  in  chronologi- 
cal order,  day  by  day  and  hour  by  hour.  All  went  well  until 
he  came  down  to  the  time  in  his  life  marked  by  the  fight  in 
which  he  was  hit  over  the  head  with  the  gunstock,  whereupon 

Si8 


APPENDIX  519 

he  was  Immediately  seized  with  a  paroxysm  of  convulsions  of 
extraordinary  strength  and  duration.  It  required  four  men 
to  hold  him  in  the  bed  at  this  time,  or  rather  on  the  bed,  for 
mattress  and  all  were  quickly  precipitated  to  the  floor.  On 
recovering  from  this  attack,  Mr.  C.  was  given  employment  in 
the  institution.  He  held  this  position  for  almost  two  years, 
during  which  time  he  had  a  number  of  these  attacks  or  seiz- 
ures, and  the  author  was  present  at  no  less  than  six  distinct 
attacks,  each  lasting  from  two  to  three  hours  up  to  thirty-six 
hours.  We  will  not  undertake  to  report  in  detail  all  the 
observations  made  upon  this  remarkable  case,  but  will  give 
a  few  general  conclusions  respecting  the  chronological  accu- 
racy and  relative  infallibility  of  memory. 

Immediately  after  a  paroxysm  of  convulsions,  this  patient 
would  begin  to  talk  in  a  moderate  tone  of  voice  —  somewhat 
of  a  monotone  —  concerning  his  life  experience,  his  general 
thoughts  and  acts.  He  would  begin  with  some  Monday  morn- 
ing, by  stretching  his  arms  as  on  awakening  in  bed.  He  spoke 
very  distinctly  when  expressing  his  leading  thoughts,  while  he 
would  quickly  slur  over  numerous  unimportant  matters.  At 
one  time  when  under  observation,  it  required  him  only  twenty 
minutes  to  pass  through  a  day's  experience;  and  during  this 
brief  time  he  repeated  aloud  his  chief  thoughts  and  described 
or  illustrated  in  abbreviated  pantomine,  his  chief  acts.  He 
would  sometimes  move  his  hands  during  these  narratives,  but 
never  undertook  to  leave  the  bed,  lying  quietly  on  his  back 
and  talking  continuously.  He  would  pass  through  a  day's  ex- 
perience in  from  ten  minutes  to  half  an  hour,  apparently  grow 
sleepy,  and  with  but  a  few  seconds  of  silence,  which  corres- 
ponded to  the  night's  sleep,  would  awaken,  yawn,  stretch  his 
arms  upward,  yawn  again,  and  then  would  immediately  begin 
the  narration  of  another  day's  thoughts  and  actions. 

There  were  certain  exciting  periods  or  experiences  in  his 
life,  which,  whenever  he  approached  them  in  his  chronological 
narration,  would  invariably  precipitate  a  series  of  violent  con- 
vulsions, during  which  he  demonstrated  very  extraordinary 
physical  prowess.  After  he  had  a  number  of  these  attacks  in 
the  institution,  where  he  had  become  known  to  both  nurses  and 


520  APPENDIX 

physicians,  great  interest  came  to  be  manifested  in  this  phe- 
nomenon of  speech  and  thought  reproduction,  especially  when 
the  reproducer  of  his  memory  would  accidentally  strike  his 
brain  record  at  a  point  covered  by  his  sojourn  in  the  institu- 
tion. It  was  at  such  times  that  he  would  repeat  experiences 
that  could  be  checked  up  by  witnesses  present.  For  instance, 
one  day,  when  in  a  spell  of  this  kind,  he  very  accurately  de- 
scribed going  to  the  author's  office,  described  a  prolonged 
conversation  with  Dr.  Holden,  one  of  his  medical  attendants, 
as  well  as  various  experiences  with  nurses  and  others  about 
the  institution.  In  this  way  we  were  able  very  accurately  to 
determine  that  his  recital  was  truthful  and  chronological. 

During  one  of  his  longer  recitals  he  passed  through  three 
years  and  a  half  of  his  life,  apparently  relating  all  the  leading 
thoughts  and  chief  events.  At  another  time  he  passed  over  a 
period  of  eleven  days  which  were  very  thoroughly  known  to 
his  attendants  and  observers,  and  his  recital  included  every 
known  conversation  of  this  period,  each  of  which  was  very 
fully,   accurately,   and   chronologically   repeated. 

I  remember  of  one  day  when  he  was  about  to  describe  an 
experience  with  me.  I  told  this  experience  as  best  I  could  in 
advance  of  his  narrative.  In  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes  he 
reached  the  experience  I  had  just  anticipated,  and  gave  it  just 
as  accurately,  filling  in  a  number  of  details  that  had  slipped 
my  mind;  but  wherein  the  details  of  his  story  were  different 
from  those  of  mine,  I  was  compelled  to  recognize  that  in  each 
and  every  case  he  was  right  and  I  was  wrong ;  and  thus  it  was 
demonstrated  that  his  memory  in  the  trance  state  was  far  more 
reliable  than  my  normal  memory. 

In  another  instance  he  related  an  experience  where  he  had 
conducted  some  sort  of  religious  service  in  which  he  had  pub- 
licly read  the  fourteenth  chapter  of  the  Gospel  of  John.  This 
chapter,  verse  by  verse,  was  read  from  the  vacant  palm  of 
his  open  hand  which  he  held  before  his  distant  gaze.  A  Bible 
was  quickly  secured  and  it  was  found  that  he  was  following 
the  text,  making  only  those  mistakes  which  might  commonly 
be  made  —  which  he  did  in  all  probability  make  during  the 
original  reading.     This  public  meeting,  which  he  was  now  re- 


APPENDIX  521 

hearsing,  had  been  held  some  six  weeks  previously.  The 
author  verified  all  these  facts  by  finding  that  the  meeting  had 
been  held,  and  that  this  was  the  very  chapter  he  had  read 
from  the  Bible.  After  he  came  out  of  this  trance-like  state, 
repeated  tests  and  observations  showed  that  he  did  not  know 
a  single  verse  of  this  chapter  by  heart.  He  could  not  repeat 
a  single  line  of  the  chapter  accurately.  On  numerous  occa- 
sions he  made  quotations  of  poetry  and  bits  of  prose,  which 
we  afterwards  discovered  he  had  never  committed  to  memory. 

Not  only  would  he  be  seized  with  a  series  of  violent  con- 
vulsive paroxysms  when  approaching  certain  peculiar  events 
in  his  life's  experience,  but  when  these  chronological  recitals 
of  his  life  history  would  extend  down  to  the  time  of  his  last 
epileptic  seizure,  they  would  unfailingly  precipitate  another 
attack.  His  narrative  would  move  along  smoothly  until  it 
approached  within  a  few  minutes  of  the  time  represented  by 
his  last  epileptic  fit,  whereupon  he  would  begin  to  grow  un- 
easy, talk  in  an  indistinct  and  jumbled  manner,  saying  that 
he  was  afraid  he  was  going  to  have  another  "  spell,"  and 
almost  immediately  he  would  pass  into  a  series  of  convulsive 
seizures.  This  was  so  marked  that  his  nurses  came  quite 
thoroughly  to  know  just  when  these  intercurrent  seizures  or 
fits  would  take  place;  knowing  they  would  usually  occur  dur- 
ing the  relation  of  certain  experiences,  and  invariably  so  when 
his  chronological  recital  was  allowed  to  progress  on  to  a  point 
where  it  was  brought  to  date  —  up  to  the  time  of  the  begin- 
ning of  a  given  attack. 

The  more  recent  the  experience  which  he  recited,  the  more 
fully  and  completely  were  the  details  of  thought  and  conversa- 
tion reproduced.  When  describing  his  experience  of  fifteen 
years  previous,  it  would  sometimes  require  but  three  or  four 
minutes  to  pass  through  a  day  of  his  life.  It  was  very  plain 
that  he  translated  into  words  only  those  experiences  of  that 
day  which  stood  out  prominently  —  his  leading  thoughts  and 
chief  acts.  Whereas,  when  this  peculiar  mechanism  of  mem- 
ory would  happen  to  strike  a  memory  record  of  more  recent 
times,  It  was  found  to  be  far  more  complete  in  detail,  and  on 
one  occasion  it  required  him  one  hour  and  a  half  to  describe 


522  APPENDIX 

his  thoughts  and  conversations  of  a  single  day;  but  irrespective 
of  the  detail  of  his  narrations,  they  were  invariably  found  to 
be  chronological.  As  far  as  it  was  possible  to  check  up  his 
narrations,  he  was  never  observed  to  describe  a  thing  out  of 
its  chronological  order,  either  with  reference  to  the  occur- 
rences of  a  single  day  or  in  narrating  the  experiences  of  a 
longer  period  of  time,  day  by  day. 

In  passing  through  an  experience  of  this  sort,  ranging  from 
a  few  hours  to  two  days,  he  never  slept,  but  talked  incessantly. 
He  would  take  no  nourishment  during  this  time,  but  would 
sit  up  in  bed  and  drink  from  one  to  three  glasses  of  water,  his 
mouth  becoming  very  dry.  He  would  stop  his  talking  only 
long  enough  to  drink  this  water.  The  expression  of  his  face 
was  usually  quite  fixed,  except  on  certain  occasions,  when  his 
face  would  grow  pale  and  an  angry  look  would  come  across  it ; 
at  other  times  his  countenance  would  light  up  while  he  was 
describing  some  ridiculous  experience  or  relating  some  hu- 
morous episode.  After  experiencing  anywhere  from  two  or 
three  to  twelve  or  fourteen  of  these  intercurrent  attacks  of 
convulsions,  he  would  come  out  of  the  entire  attack  in  a  sort 
of  semi-conscious  state,  begin  to  look  around  the  room,  recog- 
nize persons  present,  and  complain  of  a  great  sense  of  physical 
weariness  and  mental  fatigue.  He  would  usually  go  imme- 
diately to  sleep,  sleeping  from  eight  to  fifteen  hours.  On 
awakening  he  would  dress  himself,  eat  sparingly,  and  be  non- 
communicative  for  from  twenty-four  to  forty-eight  hours, 
having  a  great  desire  to  be  by  himself. 

Careful  inquiry  showed  that  he  possessed  absolutely  no  mem- 
ory of  anything  that  had  happened  since  the  time  of  his  seizure. 
He  could  always  recall  that  his  mind  was  feeling  "  queerly," 
as  he  described  it,  and  that  he  was  afraid  he  was  going  to  have 
another  "  spell."  None  of  his  various  depredations  (in  one  of 
these  conversations  he  described  holding  up  six  men  in  one 
evening,  and  four  strange  purses  were  found  on  his  person) 
could  be  recalled  to  his  mind.  He  was  blissfully  ignorant  of 
all  he  had  done  and  everything  he  had  said.  He  knew  of  these 
things  only  by  quizzing  his  nurses. 

It  was  during  one  of  these  post-epileptic  chronological  re- 


APPENDIX  523 

citals  of  his  life  experience  that  we  secured  the  information 
that  led  us  to  suspect  that  it  was  the  blow  over  the  head  with 
the  gunstock  that  was  responsible  for  his  Jacksonian  epilepsy. 
This  led  to  the  operation  performed  upon  his  skull  at  a  point 
where  the  scar  was  found  —  the  removal  of  a  thickened  piece 
of  the  bone-plate.  Immediately  after  this  operation  his  attacks 
became  less  frequent  and  less  violent.  After  a  thorough 
reformation  of  his  habits  of  living  —  discarding  tobacco,  tea, 
and  coffee,  taking  but  little  animal  food  —  he  entirely  recov- 
ered from  these  attacks.  One  year  after  his  operation  he 
ceased  to  have  them  altogether,  and  now  a  number  of  years 
have  passed  and  he  has  had  no  subsequent  attacks.  He  holds 
a  responsible  position  in  a  prominent  business  establishment. 
He  has  since  married  and  has  three  healthy  and  normal 
children. 

The  observation  and  study  of  this  case  was  enough  thor- 
oughly to  satisfy  the  author  with  respect  to  a  number  of 
propositions  in  modern  psychology.  First,  that  the  memory 
retains  well-nigh  everything  which  has  passed  through  the 
state  of  consciousness;  while  the  recollection  or  the  power  of 
recalling  facts  and  experiences  may  be  very  imperfect  and  in- 
complete, all  the  incidents  exist  in  the  subconscious  or 
marginal  state,  relatively  perfect  and  complete.  Second,  that 
the  mind  possesses  an  inherent  chronological  sense;  that  its 
memories  are  grouped  and  stored  in  chronological  order; 
that  the  marginal  consciousness  (subconscious  mind)  is  in 
possession  of  all  the  memory-data  of  the  mind  and  is  able  to 
recall  and  reproduce  the  same  in  logical  and  chronological 
order. 

Careful  study  of  this  case  could  not  but  impress  the  observer 
that  the  human  brain-memory  is  somewhat  analogous  to  a 
phonograph  cylinder,  while  the  mind  performs  in  the  capacity 
of  that  power  which  operates,  utilizes,  reproduces,  and  other- 
wise manipulates  those  things  recorded  on  the  brain  through 
the  sensory  receiving  apparatus  of  the  body. 


APPENDIX    C 
MULTIPLE  PERSONALITY 

IN  further  explanation  of  the  question  of  multiple  personality 
mentioned  in  Chapter  XXXV,  the  following  case  is  ab- 
stracted from  that  remarkable  work,  "  Multiple  Personality," 
by  Drs.  Sidis  and  Goodhart. 

The  formation  of  many  personalities,  their  dramatic  play, 
their  dissociation,  new  associations,  interrelations,  and  sense 
of  familiarity  can  possibly  be  best  brought  home  to  the  reader 
by  a  concrete  example  from  the  vast  domain  of  abnormal 
psychology.  The  following  remarkable  case,  studied  by  Dr. 
Morton  Prince  of  Boston  for  a  number  of  years,  will  probably 
best  illustrate  the  meaning  of  multiple  personality. 

"  When  Miss  Beauchamp  first  came  under  observation  she 
was  a  neurasthenic  of  a  very  severe  type.  She  was  a  student 
in  one  of  our  colleges,  and  there  received  a  very  good  educa- 
tion. But  in  consequence  of  her  neurasthenic  condition  it  was 
simply  impossible  for  her  to  go  on  with  her  work.  She  was  a 
wreck.  In  temperament  she  is  a  person  of  extreme  idealism, 
with  a  very  morbid  New  England  conscientiousness,  and  a 
great  deal  of  pride  and  reserve,  so  that  she  is  very  unwilling 
to  expose  herself  or  her  life  to  anybody's  scrutiny.  She  is  a 
person  of  absolute  honesty  of  thought  and  speech.  I  feel  sure 
we  can  rely  upon  and  trust  her  absolutely  and  completely.  I 
have  never  known  her,  nor  has  any  one,  I  believe,  known  her  — 
as  herself,  or  the  person  whom  we  call  herself  —  in  any  way 
to  indulge  in  any  deception;  nevertheless,  every  safeguard 
has  been  employed  to  guarantee  the  bona-fide  character  of  the 
phenomena. 

"  Now  she  came  to  see  me  in  this  neurasthenic  state,  but  I 
found  treatment  was  of  almost  no  use.  The  usual  methods 
were  employed,  with  qp  result,  and  it  seemed  as  if  her  case 

524 


APPENDIX  525 

was  hopeless.  Under  treatment  she  went  easily  into  the  som- 
nambulistic state.  This  somnambulistic  state  came  later  to  be 
known  as  *  B.  11./  while  the  first  personality  with  whom  I 
became  acquainted,  Miss  Beauchamp  herself,  was  known  as 
'  B  L'  Now  I  used  to  notice  that  as  B.  II.  she  was  continually 
rubbing  her  eyes;  her  hands  were  in  constant  motion,  always 
trying  to  get  at  her  eyes.  Still  I  paid  very  little  attention  to 
it,  or  placed  very  little  significance  in  this  fact,  merely  attribut- 
ing it  to  nervousness. 

"  One  day  when  I  referred  to  something  that  she  had  said 
or  done  in  a  previous  state,  when  I  supposed  she  was  B.  II., 
she  denied  all  knowledge  of  it  and  said  it  was  not  so.  This 
surprised  me,  and  I  attributed  the  denial  at  first  to  an  attempt 
at  deception.  The  next  time,  she  denied  what  she  had  pre- 
viously admitted,  and  so  it  went  on,  denying  and  then  admit- 
ting, until  it  dawned  upon  me  that  I  was  each  time  dealing 
with  an  entirely  different  personality;  and  this  proved  to  be 
the  case.  It  turned  out  that  when  she  went  into  the  state  of 
which  she  later  denied  the  facts,  she  was  an  entirely  distinct 
and  separate  person.  This  third  personality,  which  then  de- 
veloped, came  to  be  known  as  '  B.  III.'  We  had  then  three 
mental  states  — B.   I.,   B.   II.,  and  B.   III. 

"  B.  I.  knew  nothing  of  the  others.  B.  II.  knew  B.  I.,  but 
no  more.     B.  III.  knew  both  B.  I.  and  B.  II. 

"  Now  B.  III.  has  proved  to  be  one  of  the  most  interesting 
of  all  the  personalities  that  have  developed  in  the  case.  In 
one  respect  it  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  personalities,  I 
think,  that  has  ever  been  exhibited  in  any  of  the  cases  of  mul- 
tiple personality.  B.  III.,  like  B.  II.,  was  constantly  rubbing 
her  eyes,  so  that  I  was  frequently  compelled  to  hold  her  hands 
by  force  to  prevent  her  from  doing  so.  When  asked  why  she 
did  this,  she  said  she  wished  to  get  her  eyes  open,  and  it  turned 
out  afterwards  that  it  was  she  who  was  rubbing  the  eyes  of 
B.  II.  in  the  earlier  times.  At  this  time  I  prevented  B.  III. 
from  opening  her  eyes  for  the  reason  that  I  feared  that,  if  she 
got  her  eyes  open  and  was  thereby  able  to  add  the  visual  im- 
ages of  her  surroundings  to  her  mental  state  as  B.  III.,  these 
same  images  of  her  surroundings  which  she  would  also  have, 


526  APPENDIX 

of  course,  when  she  was  B.  L,  would  by  force  of  the  associa- 
tion awaken  all  her  mental  associations  as  B.  III.,  and  that,  in 
consequence,  B.  III.  would  be  constantly  coming  into  exist- 
ence of  her  own  accord. 

"  This  afterward  proved  lo  be  the  case.  B.  ITI.  always  in- 
sisted upon  having  her  eyes  opened,  complaining  that  she 
wished  to  see,  and  had  a  '  right  to  see.'  One  day,  sometime 
after  this,  while  she  was  at  home,  owing  to  some  nervous  ex- 
citement, she  was  thrown  into  the  condition  of  B.  III.,  and 
then,  as  I  was  not  there  to  prevent  it,  she  rubbed  her  eyes 
until  she  got  them  open,  and  from  that  time  to  this,  she  (B. 
III.)   has  had  a  spontaneous  and  independent  existence. 

"  This  personality  dates  her  whole  independent  existence 
from  this  day,  and  she  always  refers  to  events  as  being 
'before'  or  'after'  she  got  her  eyes  open  Now  this  person- 
ality came  afterward  to  be  known  as  Sally  Beauchamp.  She 
took  the  name  for  fun  one  day,  and  by  that  name  she  has  been 
known  ever  since.  In  character  she  differs  very  remarkably 
from  B.  I.  B.  I.  is  a  very  serious-minded  person,  fond  of 
books  and  study,  of  a  religious  turn  of  mind,  and  possesses  a 
very  morbid  conscientiousness;  she  has  a  great  sense  of  re- 
sponsibility in  life.  Sally,  on  the  other  hand,  is  full  of  fun, 
does  not  worry  about  anything;  all  life  is  one  great  joke  to  her; 
she  hates  books,  loves  fun  and  amusement,  does  not  like  serious 
/  things,  hates  church  —  in  fact,  is  thoroughly  childlike  in  every 
way.  She  is  a  child  of  nature.  She  is  not  as  well  educated  as 
is  Miss  Beauchamp,  although  she  reads  and  writes  English 
well;  yet  she  complains  constantly  that  she  cannot  express 
herself  easily  in  writing. 

"  She  cannot  read  French  or  any  of  the  foreign  languages 
which  Miss  Beauchamp  knows,  and  she  cannot  write  short- 
hand; in  short,  she  lacks  a  great  many  of  the  educational 
accomplishments  which  the  other  character  possesses.  She 
insists,  although  of  this  I  have  no  absolute  proof,  that  she 
never  sleeps,  and  that  she  is  always  awake  while  Miss  Beau- 
champ is  asleep.  I  believe  it  to  be  true.  Then  Miss  B.  is  a 
neurasthenic;  Sally  is  perfectly  well.  She  is  never  fatigued 
and  never  suffers  pain. 


f 


APPENDIX  527 

"  During  the  first  year  Sally  and  Miss  Beauchamp  used  to 
come  and  go,  alternating  with  one  another.  At  first  whenever 
B.  I.  became  fatigued  or  upset  from  any  cause,  Sally  was 
likely  to  come,  the  periods  during  which  the  latter  was  in 
existence  lasting  from  a  few  minutes  to  several  hours.  Later, 
these  periods  became  prolonged  to  several  days.  It  must  not 
be  forgotten  that  though  Miss  Beauchamp  knows  nothing  of 
Sally,  Sally,  when  not  in  the  flesh,  is  conscious  of  all  Miss 
Beauchamp's  thoughts  and  doings,  and  the  latter  could  hide 
nothing   from  her. 

"  Curiously  enough  Sally  took  an  intense  dislike  to  B.  I. 
She  actually  hated  her.  She  used  to  say  to  me,  '  Why,  I  hate 
her.  Dr.  Prince ! '  and  there  was  no  length  to  which  Sally  would 
not  go  to  cause  her  annoyance.  She  would  play  every  kind 
of  prank  upon  her  to  make  her  miserable.  She  tormented 
her  to  a  degree  almost  incredible.  While  Sally  would  never 
do  anything  to  make  any  one  else  unhappy,  she  was  absolutely 
remorseless  in  the  way  she  tormented  Miss  Beauchamp  by 
practical  jokes  and  by  playing  upon  her  sensibilities.  I  will 
give  a  few  illustrations:  If  there  is  one  thing  which  Miss 
Beauchamp  has  a  perfect  horror  of,  it  is  snakes  and  spiders. 
They  throw  her  into  a  condition  of  terror.  One  day  Sally 
went  out  into  the  country  and  collected  some  snakes  and 
spiders  and  put  them  into  a  little  box.  She  brought  them  home 
and  did  them  up  in  a  little  package,  and  addressed  them  to 
Miss  Beauchamp,  and  when  B.  I.  opened  the  package,  they 
ran  out  and  about  the  room  and  nearly  sent  her  into  fits.  In 
order  to  get  rid  of  them  she  had  to  handle  them,  which  added 
to  her  terror.  Another  joke  was  to  take  Miss  Beauchamp  out 
into  the  country  when  she  was  very  tired,  and  in  an  unfit 
condition  to  walk;  that  is,  Sally  would  take  a  car  and  go  out 
six  or  seven  miles  into  the  country  to  some  retired  place,  and 
there  wake  up  Miss  Beauchamp,  who  would  find  herself  far 
out  in  the  country  with  no  means  of  getting  home,  no  money 
in  her  pocket,  and  nothing  for  it  but  to  walk.  She  had  to 
beg  rides  when  she  could  from  passing  wagons,  and  came  back 
tired,  worn  out,  used  up  for  a  week. 

"  A    great    friend    of   Miss    Beauchamp,   to    whom   she   was 


528  APPENDIX 

ander  strong  obligations,  had  asked  her  to  knit  a  baby's  blanket. 
She  worked  on  that  blanket  for  nearly  a  year;  as  soon  as  it 
would  be  near  completion,  Sally  would  unravel  it,  and  she 
would  have  to  begin  the  task  again,  only  to  have  Sally  pull  the 
whole  thing  to  pieces  again.  Finally,  she  came  to  herself  one 
day  and  found  herself  standing  in  the  middle  of  the  room  tied 
up  in  a  perfect  network  and  snarl  of  worsted  yarn;  the  yarn 
was  wound  round  the  pictures  and  then  round  and  round  the 
furniture,  the  bed,  the  chairs,  obliging  her  to  cut  it  to  get  out 
of  the  snarl.  Another  favorite  joke  of  Sally's  was  to  make 
Miss  Beauchamp  lie.  She  had  the  power  when  she  pleased,  of 
producing  aboulia,  and  also  of  making  B.  I.  say  and  do  things 
against  her  will ;  for  after  a  fashion  she  can  get  control  of  her 
arms  and  legs,  and  also  of  her  tongue. 

"  Sally  made  her  tell  most  frightful  fibs.  For  instance,  when 
asked  who  lived  in  a  small  squalid  little  house  at  the  edge  of 
the  road,  she  said  *  Mrs.  J.  G.,*  a  very  prominent  lady  in  society, 
and  very  wealthy.  *  Why,  I  thought  she  was  rich  !  *  *  Oh,  yes, 
but  she  has  lost  all  her  money  now.'  Miss  Beauchamp  would 
be  mortified  at  hearing  herself  tell  these  astounding  barefaced 
fibs,  which  her  listener  must  know  were  fibs,  but  she  could  not 
help  it.  Again,  for  a  time  at  least,  Sally  put  B.  I.  on  an  allow- 
ance of  five  cents  a  day.  She  would  find  the  money  waiting 
for  her  in  the  morning  on  the  table  with  a  note  saying  that 
it  was  her  allowance  for  the  day  and  she  could  not  spend  more. 
Sally  took  away  her  postage-stamps,  and  if  Miss  Beauchamp 
wrote  a  letter  it  had  first  to  be  exhibited  to  Sally,  and  if  Sally 
approved  it,  it  was  posted;  if  not,  it  did  not  go,  and  that  was 
the  end  of  it. 

"  Miss  Beauchamp  is  a  person  with  a  great  sense  of  dignity, 
and  dislikes  anything  that  smacks  of  a  lack  of  decorum  or  of 
familiarity.  Sally  had  a  way  of  punishing  her  by  making  her 
sit  on  a  chair  with  her  feet  upon  the  mantelpiece.  B.  I.  could 
not  take  her  feet  down,  and  was  mortified  to  think  she  had 
to  sit  that  way.  Sally  carries  on  a  correspondence  with  Miss 
Beauchamp,  writes  letters  to  her  pointing  out  all  the  weak 
points  of  her  character,  dwelling  on  all  the  little  slips  and 
foibles  of  her  mind,  telling  her  all  the  reckless  acts  and  secret 


APPENDIX 


529 


thoughts,  indeed,  everything  she  has  done  that  would  not  bear 
criticism.  In  fact,  when  she  has  a  chance  to  stick  a  pin  into 
her,  she  does  it.  When  Miss  Beauchamp  wakes  in  the  morn- 
ing, she  may  find  pinned  on  the  wall  of  the  room  verses  con- 
taining all  sorts  of  personal  allusions,  letters  calling  her  names, 
telling  fictitious  things  that  people  have  said  about  her,  in 
short,  doing  everything  imaginable  to  make  her  life  miserable. 
Nevertheless,  at  times  when  she  has  gone  too  far,  Sally  has 
got  frightened,  and  then  she  would  write  me  a  letter  and  ask 
for  help,  saying  that  she  *  could  not  do  anything  with  Miss 
Beauchamp,'  and  I  really  must  help  her. 

"Although  B.  I.  knows  nothing  of  Sally,  Sally  not  only  is 
conscious  of  Miss  Beauchamp's  thoughts  at  the  moment  they 
arise,  but  she  is  capable,  as  I  have  said,  of  controlling  her 
thoughts  and  her  arms  and  legs  and  tongue  to  a  certain  ex- 
tent. Sally  can  produce  positive  and  negative  hallucinations  in 
B.  I.  and  frequently  does  so  for  a  practical  joke.  During  the 
times  when  Sally  is  in  existence,  B.  I.  is,  as  Sally  puts  it, 
*  dead,'  and  these  times  represent  complete  gaps  in  Miss  Beau- 
champ's  memory,  so  that  she  has  no  knowledge  of  them  what- 
ever. *  What  becomes  of  her  ?  '  Sally  frequently  asks.  Sally 
is  never  *  dead.'  Her  memory  is  continuous ;  there  are  no  gaps 
in  it.  She  not  only  knows  —  simultaneously,  as  I  said  —  all  of 
B.  I.'s  thoughts  and  emotions  and  sensations,  but  more  than 
that,  Sally's  thoughts  are  entirely  distinct  from  and  independ- 
ent of  B.  I.'s  thoughts,  with  which  they  are  coexistent,  but  not 
identical.  B.  I.'s  thoughts  are  not  Sally's  thoughts.  Sally's 
thoughts  coexist  alongside  of  and  simultaneously  with  B.  I.'s; 
but  Sally's  mental  life  is  made  up  of  entirely  different  and 
separate  thoughts  and  feelings  from  B.  I.'s,  so  that  Sally  will 
have  a  train  of  thought  and  at  the  same  time  with  B.  I.,  of  an 
entirely  different  nature.  All  this  is  also  true  of  the  relation 
of  Sally's  mind  to  the  personality  B.  IV.,  who  came  later,  ex- 
cepting that  Sally  does  not  know  B.  IV.'s  thoughts.  While 
either  B.  I.  or  IV.  is  thinking  and  feeling  one  thing  —  is  de- 
pressed and  self-reproachful,  for  example  —  Sally  is  feeling 
gay  and  indifferent  and  enjoying  Miss  B.'s  discomfiture  and 
perhaps  planning  some  amusement  distasteful  to  her." 


APPENDIX    D 
MENTAL  DIAGNOSIS   BY  THE  REACTION   METHOD 

THE  following  experiments,  designed  to  point  out  the  in- 
fluence of  the  mental  states  upon  conduct  in  speech,  were 
conducted  by  Henke  and  Eddy,  under  the  direction  of  the 
Department  of  Psychology  in  Northwestern  University,  and 
are  here  reported  at  the  author's  request,  for  the  purpose  of 
further  explaining  and  demonstrating  the  methods  of  psycho- 
analysis, and  mental  diagnosis  by  association  of  ideas,  and  the 
reaction  method,  mentioned  in  Chapter  XXXV.  (The  com- 
plete report  of  this  work  is  published  in  the  "  Psychological 
Review,"  of  March,  1910.) 

EXPERIMENT  I 

Material :  a  dark  room,  in  one  corner  are  a  child's  desk,  upon 
which  is  a  volume  of  "  Christmas  Carols,"  a  bottle  of  red  ink, 
pen,  paper,  and  Jastrow's  volume  on  "  The  Subconscious." 
A  hammer  is  tied  to  a  gas  fixture  over  the  desk.  In  the  oppo- 
site corner  of  the  room  is  a  table  on  which  is  a  crushed  hat 
covered  with  cobwebs.  There  are  two  subjects  in  the  experi- 
ment. (Typewritten  instructions  are  supplied  to  these 
subjects.) 

The  method  of  carrying  out  the  experiment  was  as  follows: 

1.  Only  one  of  the  two  subjects  is  to  enter  the  room.  He 
is  given  the  typewritten  instructions.  He  is  to  sit  at  the  desk 
and  read  certain  pages  from  the  child's  book. 

2.  He  is  to  write  the  first  page  of  "  The  night  before  Christ- 
mas." 

3.  He  is  to  pick  up  the  other  book,  Jastrow's  book,  note  the 
author,  title,  etc. 

4.  He  is  to  untie  the  hammer  from  the  gas  fixture  and  ex- 
amine it  carefully. 

5.  He  reads  from  the  typewritten  page :  "  This  is  the  oldest 

530 


APPENDIX  531 

building  on  the  campus.  It  is  constructed  entirely  of  wood; 
in  the  basement  is  a  carpenter  shop,  well-filled  with  lumber, 
shavings,  oil,  etc.  It  is  a  veritable  fire-trap.  The  building 
is  heavily  insured  because  of  the  danger  from  fire.  The  upper 
floor  has  been  practically  abandoned.  Fire  might  break  out  at 
any  moment.  Employ  the  next  five  minutes  in  devising  a 
scheme  for  escape  from  this  building,  in  case  of  fire.  At  the 
end  of  five  minutes  a  signal  will  be  given. 

6.  "  Behind  you  is  a  door.  Near  this  is  a  rope  fifty  feet  long 
—  long  enough,  in  other  words,  to  reach  from  the  window  to 
the   ground. 

7.  "  When  you  go  from  this  room,  do  not  talk  to  any  one 
about  these  directions  or  the  contents  of  the  room." 

8.  One  of  the  two  men  is  now  taken  to  the  lecture  room  and 
tested  before  a  class  of  forty  students,  by  the  Association 
Reaction  Method.  A  list  of  thirty-eight  words  has  been  pre- 
pared. Fourteen  of  these  words  are  irrelevant,  twenty-four 
are  relevant;  that  is,  they  suggest  the  contents  of  the  room, 
etc.  One  of  the  fourteen  irrelevant  words  first  named  is 
suggested  to  the  student  and  he  is  asked  to  utter  the  first  word 
which  is  suggested  by  it  as  quickly  as  possible.  The  time  which 
passes  between  the  uttering  of  the  word  and  the  subject's  re- 
sponse is  measured.  The  remainder  of  the  first  fourteen  words 
are  employed  in  like  manner.  The  average  of  the  first  four- 
teen intervals  gives  the  subject's  normal  association  time.  We 
then  proceed  to  utter  to  him  the  remaining  words  in  turn.  The 
association  time  is  measured  as  in  the  other  case.  This  sub- 
ject is  dismissed  from  the  room  and  the  other  of  the  two  first 
named  is  brought  in.     He  is  tested  likewise. 

At  the  end  of  this  test  the  association  times,  as  measured 
from  the  first  student,  are  compared  with  the  association  times 
as  measured  in  the  case  of  the  second  student.  The  entire 
class,  after  this  comparison,  was  unanimous  in  the  belief  that 
the  first  student  tested  had  been  in  the  room  described  aboye, 
and  that  he  was  making  an  attempt  to  conceal  his  having  been 
there;  that  the  other  student  had  been  there  also  but  that  he 
was  making  no  attempt  to  conceal  it.  The  basis  of  their 
judgment  was  the  length  of  his  association  time.     In  all  of 


532  APPENDIX 

these  cases  in  which  the  subject  was  confronted  with  a  relevant 
word,  his  association  time  was  long,  if  he  was  trying  to  con- 
ceal  his   having   been   in   the   room.     Otherwise,    it   was  the 
normal  time  as  determined  by  the  first  fourteen  reactions. 
EXPERIMENT   II 

There  are  three  subjects  in  this  experiment.  The  two  sub- 
jects of  the  previous  experiment  are  excluded.  The  room,  as 
described  above,  is  also  employed  in  this  experiment.  Its 
purpose  is  to  determine  who  of  the  three  subjects  had  been 
in  the  room,  and  was  trying  to  conceal  his  having  been  there; 
who  had  been  there,  but  was  not  trying  to  conceal  it ;  and  who 
had  not  been  there  at  all,  and  did  not  know  anything  at  all 
about  the  room  or  its  contents.  These  subjects  were  brought 
before  the  same  class  in  turn,  and  tested  by  use  of  the  same 
set  of  words  described  in  connection  with  the  first  experiment; 
and  the  class  before  whom  the  test  was  made,  was  called  upon 
to  decide  the  questions  indicated  above.  The  conclusion  of 
the  class  was  not  unanimously  in  accordance  with  the  facts; 
but  the  majority  hit  upon  the  fellow  who  had  been  there  and 
the  one  who  had  not  been  there. 

EXPERIMENT  III 

In  this  experiment  two  subjects  were  employed.  The  room 
and  its  contents  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  situation.  The 
following  was  substituted  therefor: 

In  a  drawer  of  a  table  in  the  laboratory  there  were  placed 
three  bottles  of  ink  —  one  red,  one  green,  one  violet;  two 
pieces  of  glass  —  one  red  and  one  blue;  a  one-pound  iron 
weight,  one  handkerchief  scented  with  asafoetida,  a  copy  of 
"  The  Psychology  of  Advertising,"  and  a  copy  of  "  The  Na- 
tive Tribes  of  Central  Australia."  The  instructions' contained 
in  the  drawer  of  the  table  were  as  follows: 

1.  "  Take  up  the  book  '  Psychology  of  Advertising^.'  Who  is 
its  author?    Read  the  advertisement  on  page  34. 

2.  "  There  are  three  bottles  of  ink  in  this  drawer.  Notice 
their  colors.     Are  the  bottles  full  or  empty? 

3.  "  Take  up  the  book  on  *  The  Native  Tribes  of  Central  Aus- 
tralia.' How  many  pages  are  in  this  book?  Turn  to  page  33, 
and  notice  the  picture  of  the  old  man,  also  notice  the  picture 
of  the  winsome  lass  on  page  47." 


APPENDIX  533 

a.  Both  of  the  subjects  of  this  experiment  might  enter  the 
room  and  perform  the  series  of  acts  according  to  the  in- 
structions. 

h.  Either  might  do  so. 

c.  Neither  might  do  so. 

4.  After  deciding  upon  a,  h,  or  c,  and  following  the  direc- 
tions, they  were  allowed  to  conceal  or  not  to  conceal  their 
having  examined  the  contents  of  the  drawer.  A  new  list  of 
words  was  prepared,  the  first  fourteen  successive  words  being 
irrelevant,   the   remainder  being  relevant. 

Next,  the  association  time  of  these  subjects  was  determined 
as  in  the  other  experiments;  and  again,  the  judgment  of  the 
class  was  correct.  Both  had  been  in  the  room  and  had  followed 
the  directions  contained  in  the  table  drawer.  One  had  tried 
to  conceal  it,  the  other  had  not  tried  to  conceal  it.  As  a  gen- 
eral conclusion  of  these  tests,  it  may  be  said  that  the  situation 
might  easily  be  made  so  complex  as  to  make  a  correct  judg- 
ment, upon  the  question  raised  in  the  experiment,  impossible. 
It  should  also  be  said  that  in  the  last  experiment  the  class  was 
not  unanimous  in  its  judgment,  but  a  substantial  majority  made 
a  correct  report. 

Note:  Another  series  of  experiments  of  the  same  kind,  in 
which  the  situation  was  more  simple  than  that  in  any  of  the 
cases  described,  were  performed  at  Vassar  College.  Out  of 
fifty-three  cases  there  were  fifty-two  correct  judgments  made 
by  a  class  of  thirty  or  forty  students. 


INDEX 


"  Abdominal  brain  "  (see  solar 

plexus). 
Abrams,  Dr.,  on  the  "  blues," 

383- 

Absent-mindedness,  theory  of, 
411. 

"  Absent  treatment"  and  tele- 
pathy, 463. 

Abstraction,  a  part  of  concep- 
tion, 44,  53. 

Accidents,  to  the  brain,  17;  in 
relation  to  psychotheraphy, 
307;    in    relation   to   worry, 

367- 

Acidity  of  the  blood  and  the 
mind,  27. 

Acromegaly,  184. 

Act  of  breathing,  the,  190. 

Actions,  ancestors  of  habit,  51 ; 
voluntary  and  involuntary, 
51;  defined,  54;  and  reflec- 
tion, 451. 

Acute,  disorders  and  the  mind, 
12;  infections  and  mental 
disturbances,  31 ;  diseases 
and  the  mind,  149,  306; 
disease,  defined,  293. 

Adenoids,  influence  on  the 
mind,  32. 

Adrenalin,  183. 


Adulterated  foods  and  adul- 
terated thoughts,  29, 

Affections,  as  influenced  by 
faith  and  fear,  99;  the,  and 
blood-pressure,  136;  effect 
on  nutrition,  177. 

Affirmation,  the  crowning  act 
of  thought,  50;  defined,  54. 

Affliction,  source  of,  323. 

"  After  images,"  experiments 
regarding,  245. 

Age,  in  relation  to  brain  cen- 
tres, 17;  a  factor  in  worry, 

364- 

Air,  fresh,  and  the  intellect, 
22. 

Alarm,  in  relation  to  fear,  108. 

Alcohol,  and  brain  action,  17; 
effects  of,  on  mind,  28;  ef- 
fects on  blood-pressure,  29, 
133,  136,  282;  and  the  vital 
resistance,  147;  in  relation 
to  worry,  351. 

Alcoholism      and     mind-cure, 

307- 

Alexander  the  Great  and 
magicians,  79. 

Allbutt,  Dr.,  on  granular  kid- 
ney, 159. 

Almanacs,  ancient,  85. 

Altruistic  work,  hygienic  value 
of,  437- 


535 


536 


INDEX 


Anaemia,  effects  on  the  mind, 
28;  relative,  145;  cured  by 
the  mind,  145 ;  result  of  dis- 
appointment, 182;  psychic 
prevention  of,  269. 

Anatomy  of  the  brain,  xi, 
505;  of  the  nervous  system, 
xiii;  of  the  neuron,  xiii; 
of  the  sympathetic  nerves, 
xiv. 

Ancient  error  and  superstition, 
5;  views  of  the  mind,  15; 
health  delusions,  79 ;  medical 
superstitions,  examples,  80; 
physician-priests,  311. 

Angels,  as  healers,  81. 

Anger,  in  relation  to  metabol- 
ism, 30;  and  the  fear  life, 
109;  effects  of,  on  blood- 
pressure,  134;  produces  body 
poisons,  146;  effect  on  secre- 
tions, 146;  cause  of  bilious- 
ness, 157;  effects  on  diges- 
tion, 166;  the  curse  of,  326; 
acute,  390;  physiology  of, 
391 ;  augmented  by  gesticula- 
tion, 447;  results  of,  496. 

Angina  pectoris  and  the  emo- 
tions, 117. 

Angioneurotic  oedema  and  the 
mental  state,  127,  215. 

Animal,  heat,  influence  of 
mind  on,  273 ;  passions,  in- 
fluenced by  prayer,  478. 

Animals,  why  free  from 
dyspepsia,  27;  reasoning  of, 
49 ;  psychology  of,  350 ;  why 
they  do  not  worry,  351 ;  re- 
laxation of,  398. 


Anti-bodies     and     antitoxins, 

147; 

Antitoxin,  147;  in  diphtheria, 
267. 

Apollo,  the  god  of  healing,  79. 

Apoplexy  and  blood-pressure, 
128,  132;  ana  heart  failure, 
141,  268;  and  brain  diseases, 
227. 

Appendicitis  and  fear,  129; 
mistaken  suggestion  of,  435. 

Appetite,  as  concerned  in  gas- 
tric secretion,  9;  a  factor  in 
digestion,  162;  juice,  the, 
165;  in  nutrition,  179. 

Army,  health  of,  and  the  men- 
tal state,  150. 

Art  of  living  easy,  the,  379. 

Arterial  tension,  significance 
of,  132. 

Arteriosclerosis,  effects  on 
mind,  32;  and  the  mental 
state,  123 ;  and  cheerfulness, 
268. 

Ascites,  caused  by  fear,  126. 

Assimilation  in  relation  to 
mental  action,  29;  crippled 
by  the  mental  state,  176; 
process  of,  176. 

Association  of  ideas,  47,  53; 
as  influenced  by  faith  and 
fear,  98 ;  in  mental  diagnosis, 
417;  by  suggestion,  429. 

Associative  memories,  in  rela- 
tion to  worry,  409. 

Assurance  and  the  faith  life, 
108;  of  faith,  the,  328. 

Asthma  and  hay  fever,  194; 
cured    by    suggestion,    195; 


INDEX 


537 


mechanism  of,  196;  psychic 
prevention  of,  272. 
Astrology   in   health   and   dis- 

Iease,    84,   86;   examples   of, 
85;     and    healing,     loi ;     a 
superstition,  458. 
A-stronomy  and  medicine,  84. 
Atmospheric   purity   and  tem- 
perature, 23. 
Attention,  state  of,  40;  defined, 
40,   52;   a   factor   in  worry, 
I        357;  and  the  physical  func- 
f       tions,  382. 

Auditory  nerve,  deceptive  ex- 
citation of,  244. 
Autointoxication       and       the 
mind,  27;  and  mental  slug- 
gishness, 29. 
Automatic      nerve      reflexes, 
xii;     writing     and    talking, 
462. 
Automatism,  purposes  of,  412, 

413- 
Auto-suggestion  and  health 
books,  296;  hygienic,  301; 
Paul  on,  328;  or  positive 
thinking,  372;  a  factor  in 
prayer,  477;  adverse  in 
prayer,  482. 


Baby,  the,  a  cure   for  worry, 

379- 

Babylonians,  views  of  the  in- 
tellect, 15;  and  astrology,  84. 

Backache,  from  nervous  ten- 
sion, 393. 

Baldness,  from  nerve  strain, 
214,  234. 


Balzac,  walking  mania,  285. 
Baptisms,  freedom  from  colds, 

150. 
Barbers,  as  surgeons,  89. 
Barker,    Dr.,    on    reeducation, 

445- 

Basal  ganglia,  functions  of, 
xi,  506. 

Baths,  influence  on  the  mind, 
30;  reaction  influenced  by 
the  mind,  124;  in  connec- 
tion with  psychotherapy, 
263;  in  the  treatment  of 
worry,  383. 

Beggar,  blind,  healing  of,  324. 

Belief,   contrasted  with    faith, 

316. 

Bernheim,  Dr.,  on  psychic  cure 
of  aphonia,  272. 

Bible,  the,  on  faith  and  fear, 
321 ;  on  anger  and  anxiety, 
326;  on  worry,  327;  on  sug- 
gestion, 327;  on  psychic  and 
physical  treatment,  331 ;  on 
spiritualism,  467. 

Bile,  regulation  of  flow,  7. 

Biliousness,  9 ;  and  the  brain, 
27;  caused  by  anger,  157. 

Biologic  instinct,  71. 

Birthmarks,  psychic  element 
in,  278;  and  the  mother's 
fear,  279. 

Bismuth,  in  X-ray  experi- 
ments, 167. 

Bladder,  mental  factor  in  ac- 
tion of,  159;  memory  action 
of,  410. 

Blindness,  hysteric,  cured  by 
faith,  245. 


538 


INDEX 


Blisters,    psychic    origin     of, 

215- 

Blood,  state  of,  in  relation  to 
the  mind,  2y',  the,  and  the 
brain,  28;  letting,  a  dis- 
carded practice,  89;  move- 
ment of,  125;  cells,  and  the 
mental  state,  143;  cells, 
white,  144;  poisons,  145; 
supply,  local,  and  the  mind, 
211;  cells,  psychic  conserva- 
tion of,  269. 

Blood-pressure,  in  relation  to 
sleep,  XV ;  and  the  chemical 
messengers,  8 ;  and  brain  ac- 
tion, 28;  effects  of  faith 
and  fear  on,  122;  modified 
by  psychic  influences,  131, 
268;  determination  of,  131; 
significance  of,  132;  case 
of  ex-convict,  133;  and  the 
emotions,  134;  and  nervous 
prostration,  134;  and  the  af- 
fections, 136;  and  religion, 
137;  an  indication  of  sin- 
cerity, 138;  psychic  regula- 
tion of,  138;  mechanism  of, 
140;  and  adrenalin,  183;  a 
factor  in  intemperance,  282; 
influenced  by  prayer,  477. 

"  Blues,"  the,  and  shadow 
breathing,  24,  186 ;  the  cause 
of,  383. 

Blushing,  psychic  element  in, 
128;  mechanism  of,  212. 

Bodily  functions  and  mental 
control,  12;  state,  influence 
of,  on  the  mind,  21 ;  exercise, 
and   the    mental    state,   25; 


disease,  and  the  mind,  31; 
weight,  and  the  mental  state, 
31 ;  states  and  the  emotions, 
41 ;  defences,  how  influ- 
enced, 144;  weight,  mental 
factors  in,  180;  carriage,  and 
the  mind,  200. 

Body,  the,  as  a  controlling 
force,  10;  the,  and  the  will, 
59;  and  the  marginal  con- 
sciousness, 68;  as  influenced 
by  faith  and  fear,  99; 
stamped  with  the  tone  of  the 
mind,  148 ;  temperature, 
thermo-electric,  217;  in- 
fluence of  prayer  on,  478 ;  in 
relation  to  the  soul,  488 ;  the 
simple  life  for,  495. 

Boils,  caused  by  worry,  214. 

Bondage  of  ignorance,  the  5; 
imaginary  chains  of,  360 ;  of 
civilization,  493. 

Bones,  in  relation  to  blood- 
making,  329. 

Bouchard,    on    body    poisons, 

145. 

Bowels,  inactivity  of,  and  men- 
tal depression,  9 ;  as  the  seat 
of  emotions,  15;  action  of  on 
mind,  169;  muscular  move- 
ments of,  205. 

Brain,  the,  represents  highest 
bodily  development,  xi ; 
citadel  of  will,  xi;  home  of 
spiritual  emotions,  xi;  the 
human,  xi,  505;  anatomical 
divisions,  xi;  anatomy  of, 
xi;  centres,  xi,  507;  storm, 
how  prevented,  xiv;  as  re- 


INDEX 


539 


lated  to  thought,  xv;  in  re- 
lation mind,  4;  the  organ  of 
mind,  4;  seat  of  mind's 
authority,  1 1 ;  only  recently 
associated  with  mind,  15; 
mind,  and  personality,  15; 
does  not  secrete  thought,  16; 
action,  compared  to  stomach 
action,  16;  relation  to  per- 
sonality, 16;  does  not  origin- 
ate speech,  16;  centres,  for 
talking,  16;  functions  of  the 
two  hemispheres,  16;  pur- 
pose of  inactive  half,  16; 
centres,  in  relation  to  age, 
17;  servant  of  mind,  17;  does 
not  think,  17;  and  mind,  17; 
size  of,  18 ;  of  man  and  mon- 
key compared,  18;  changed 
by  education,  18;  action,  re- 
tarded by  foul  air,  22 ;  action, 
and  breathing,  24;  and  bil- 
iousness, 2y,  and  the  blood, 
28;  internal  bath  of,  29; 
starvation  in  anaemia,  30 ;  ac- 
tion and  elimination,  30 ;  dis- 
orders and  bodily  diseases, 
31 ;  as  controlled  by  the  will, 
58;  effects  of  mental  state 
on,  220;  circulation  of,  220; 
rest,  determined  by  psychic 
state,  222;  fatigue,  and  the 
mind,  223 ;  fag,  caused  by 
worry,  224 ;  storm,  caused  by 
fear,  224;  energy,  increased 
by  optimism,  224;  strength 
in  relation  to  mental  state, 
225 ;  endurance,  increased 
by  joy,   226;   diseases,   and 


apoplexy,  227;  psychic  ele- 
ment in  health  of,  273; 
storms,  theory  of,  412;  fag, 
fatigue  of,  419;  physiology 
of,  505;  functions  of,  506. 

Brains,  the  two,  16. 

Breathing  and  brain  action, 
23,  24;  and  the  "blues,"  24; 
and  endurance,  24;  muscu- 
lar work  of,  59 ;  influence  of, 
on  oxidation,  178;  influence 
of  mind  on,  186;  deep  and 
shallow,  186;  deep,  a  dys- 
pepsia cure,  187;  the  act  of, 
190;  tracings  of,  196;  ner- 
vous mechanism  of,  196;  in 
relation  to  the  mind,  271 ;  in 
the  treatment  of  worry,  383 ; 
and  moral  depression,  495, 

Bright's  disease  and  blood- 
pressure,  132. 

Bromides,  effect  on  blood-pres- 
sure, 133. 

Bronchitis  and  the  mental 
state,   123,    126. 

Bunions,  influence  on  mind,  25. 

Business,  psychic  element,  in, 
283. 

C 

Cancer,  ancient  cures  for,  87; 

death  from  fear  of,  148;  in 

relation  to  fear,  182. 
Capacity  for  work,  204. 
Capillary  contraction  and  the 

mental  state,  123,  126.  • 
Carbon    dioxid,    a    respiratory 

regulator,  186;  output,  effect 

of  mind  on,  188. 


540 


INDEX 


Cardiac  rhythm,  the,  115;  nu- 
trition, and  the  emotions, 
117;  endurance,  117;  nerve- 
centres,  118;  psychic  re- 
sponse, 119;  nervous  mech- 
anism, 120;  action,  psychic 
influence  on,  268;  disorders, 
functional  and  organic,  291 ; 
disorders,  in  relation  to  psy- 
chotherapy, 302. 

Care,  destructive  influence  of, 

359- 

Carnal  nature,  warfare  with 
spiritual,  487. 

Carriage,  physical,  and  the 
mind,  200. 

Cat,  digestion  experiments  on, 
166;  experiments  on  bowel 
action,  171 ;  mental  state  of, 
and  digestion,  205;  -mewing 
mania,  317. 

Catalepsy,  psychology  of,  461. 

Catarrh,  in  relation  to  the 
mental  state,  123. 

Cathartic,  action  modified  by 
suggestion,  171. 

Cells,  man  a  community  of,  6; 
chemical  interrelationship 
of,  7 ;  intercommunication  by 
nerves,  8;  their  nerve  sup- 
ply, 19,  174;  intelligence  of, 
71 ;  nutrition  of,  173 ;  oxida- 
tion in,  178. 

Central  consciousness,  the,  65 ; 
defined,  67;  compared  with 
the  marginal,  73. 

Centres,  of  the  brain,  xi;  of 
speech  and  word-memory, 
18. 


Cerebellum,  the,  xi,  506. 
Cerebrum,  the,  xi,  505.  I 

Certainty,  and  the   faith  life,     \ 

108. 
Chaldeans 'and  astrology,  84. 
"  Change  of  life,"  false  notions 

oU  397. 

Character,  modified  by  habits, 
18;  defined,  54,  60;  and  con- 
science, 60 ;  development  and 
fear,  99;  development  and 
the  mind,  280;  transforma- 
tion of,  281 ;  transformation 
by  prayer,  479. 

Charms,  in  relation  to  healing, 
100;  deception  of,  457. 

Cheerfulness  and  sunshine,  22 ; 
and  the  faith  life,  108;  re- 
sists disease,  149;  effects  on 
nutrition,  174 ;  effects  on  ex- 
pression, 203;  a  beautifier, 
209;  and  heart  action,  268; 
a  fatigue  preventer,  269; 
and  deep  breathing,  272; 
prevents  stoop-shoulders, 
2^2 ;  normalizes  the  feelings, 
273;  a  therapeutic  agent, 
328. 

"Cheering  up,"  effects  on  pa- 
tient, 181 ;  a  cure  for  worry, 

378. 
Chemical,   messengers   of   the 

blood,  7;  juice,  the,  165. 
Chemistry,    an    illustration   of 

healing  laws,  106. 
Chest    development    and    the 

mind,  24;  the,  188. 
Child    culture    and    fear,    99; 

psychology  of,  276;  the  pre- 


INDEX 


541 


natal   psychic   influence   on, 
278. 

Children,  stunted  by  foul  air, 
22;  confusion  of  imagina- 
tion in,  42;  effects  of  fear 
on,  99,  276;  fear  of  dark- 
ness, 277;  fear  of  noises, 
277;  suggestion  in  early  life, 
279 ;  habit  formation  in,  341 ; 
worries  of,  364;  a  cause  of 
worry,  366;  fear  of  storms, 
376;  a  cure  of  worry,  379; 
suggestibility  of,  427;  sug- 
gestive cure  of  "  bumps," 
430 ;  suggestible  when  asleep, 
432 ;  nagging  of,  499 ;  stereo- 
typed training  of,  500. 

Chills,  produced  by  fear,  124; 
psychic  influence  on,  216. 

Choice,  the  final  act  of  think- 
ing, 50;  effects  of  faith  and 
fear  on,  98. 

Choking,  from  fright,  206. 

Cholera,  imaginary,  149,  170; 
pseudo,   from   fright,  206. 

Chorea,  psychic  causes  of,  203. 

Christ,  as  a  healer,  322 ;  teach- 
ing of,  regarding  fear,  324; 
faith  teachings  of,  324; 
teachings  on  worry,  327; 
healings  of,  limited  by  faith, 
330;  our  grief-bearer,  333; 
heals  the  infirm  woman,  360. 

Christian  experience,  why  un- 
satisfactory, 316. 

Christian  Science,  and  healing, 
103:  cure,  of  habit-cough, 
193;  mission  of,  256,  257; 
attitude  toward,  257 ;  sectar- 


ian aspect  of,  262 ;  secret  of 
success,  300;  views  of  trou- 
ble, 401 ;  theory  of  disease, 
430;  philosophy  of,  471 ;  how 
it  works,  472. 

Christianity,  in  relation  to 
blood-pressure,  139;  and 
mental  cures,  284;  a  trans- 
cendent psychic  force,  316; 
versus  theology,  317;  a  sys- 
tem of  reckoning,  334;  a 
worry  cure,  380 ;  and  mental 
science,  468;  the  highest 
psychotherapy,  484;  prophy- 
lactic value  of,  485. 

Chronic  disease  and  the  mind, 
12,  149;  defined,  293. 

"  Church  sleep,"  of  the  early 
Christians,  81. 

Cigarettes  and  social  strain, 
499. 

Circulation,  the,  as  a  unifying 
influence,  7 ;  and  deep  breath- 
ing, 24;  and  the  emotions, 
41 ;  influence  of  mind  on, 
122;  and  skin  reaction,  124; 
equilibrium,  experiments  on, 
127;  and  the  skin,  210;  psy- 
chic element  in,  268;  dis- 
eases of,  functional  and  or- 
ganic, 291 ;  disorders  of,  in 
relation  to  psychotherapy, 
302 ;  effects  on  the  emotions, 

447. 
Civilization,  fear  a  factor  in, 
401 ;  the  bondage  of,  493 ;  in 
relation     to     anxiety     and 
worry,  494. 


542 


INDEX 


Clairvoyance  and  healing,  102; 
a  psychic  fake,  459. 

Classification,  a  part  of  con- 
ception, 44,  53. 

Climate  in  relation  to  psycho- 
therapy, 263. 

Clothing,  fashionable,  effects 
on  mind,  25. 

Cloudiness  and  the  mental 
state,  22. 

Cocaine  and  blood-pressure, 
29;  and  capillary  contrac- 
tion, 123;  and  social  strain, 

499. 

Co-conscious  mind,  (see  mar- 
ginal consciousness.) 

Coffee,  effects  on  the  nerves, 
28;  and  capillary  contrac- 
tion, 123. 

Cold  hands  and  feet,  psychic 
causes,  126;  sensation  of, 
and  the  mind,  216. 

Colds,  and  the  mental  state, 
123 ;  following  funerals, 
150;  psychic  prevention  of, 
216. 

Comets,  a  cause  of  worry,  354. 

Community,  the,  simple  life 
for,  497. 

Comparative  summary  of  the 
Bible  on  faith  and  fear,  335. 

Comparison,  a  part  of  concep- 
tion, 44,  53;  of  central  and 
marginal        consciousnesses, 

73- 

"  Complex  formation,"  theory 
of,  409;  psychic  results  of, 
410. 

Complexes,  independent  action  | 


of,  415;  conserved  in  the 
marginal  consciousness,  428. 

Conception,  process  of,  44 ;  de- 
fined, 44,  53;  effects  of  fear 
on,  96. 

Concepts,  defined,  45,  53. 

Conclusion  of  the  whole  mat- 
ter, 248. 

Condiments,  effects  of,  28. 

Confessional,  psychic  value  of, 

315- 

Confidence,  and  the  faith  life, 
108. 

Congestion  and  the  mind,  123, 
125,  128;  local,  mental  factor 
in,  126;  experiment  illustrat- 
ing, 127;  prevented  by 
cheerfulness,  268. 

Conjurors  and   mumblers,   84. 

Conscience,  defined,  54,  61 ; 
and  character,  60;  voice  of, 
64,  65,  69;  in  relation  to 
health,  318;  clear,  a  worry 
cure,  380. 

Conscientiousness  and  the 
faith  life,  109. 

Conscious  mind,  the,  66;  com- 
pared with  the  subconscious, 

74.  ^ 
Consciousness,  motor  dis- 
charge of,  19;  the  state  of 
attention,  40;  defined,  40, 
52 ;  the  central,  65 ;  the  mar- 
ginal, 66;  marginal  in  health 
and  disease,  67;  the  three 
phases  of,  69;  the  spiritual, 
69,  70;  the  intellectual,  70; 
the  physical,  71 ;  in  auto- 
matic writing,  462. 


INDEX 


543 


Constipation,  effects  of,  on  the 
mind,  29,  30 ;  and  the  mental 
state,  169,  170;  and  nutri- 
tion, 176;  induced  by  the 
mental  state,  205. 

Consumption,  and  chest-devel- 
opment,  189. 

Contagious  diseases  and  the 
mind,  148 ;  in  relation  to  psy- 
chotherapy, 306. 

Contentment,  value  of,  379. 

Conventionality,  slavery  to, 
494. 

Conversion,  religious,  417;  an 
apparent  case  of,  479. 

Convulsions  and  epilepsy,  236. 

"  Cool-headedness,"    need    of, 

345- 

Cooperation  of  cells,  7. 

Coordination,  muscular  and 
nervous,  395. 

Cough  habit,  192;  psychic  pre- 
vention of,  272. 

Coughing,  psychic,  191 ;  sug- 
gestive, experiments  in,  191 ; 
nervous,  344. 

Counting,  obsession,  the,  343. 

Courage,  and  the  faith  life, 
109;  effects  on  muscular  ac- 
tion, 198. 

Cowardice  and  the  fear  life, 
109. 

Cowards,  nervous,  454. 

Cretin,  illustration  of  body's 
power  over  mind,  32. 

Cretinism,  183. 

Crime,  in  relation  to  hypnot- 
ism, 421 ;  in  relation  to  met- 
abolism, 30. 


Crowd,  psychology  of,  286. 
Crystal-gazing,  psychology  of, 

460. 
Cure  of  worry,  371. 
Cures,    the    work    and    study, 

421. 
Cutaneous     action     and     the 

mind,    211;    sensation,    and 

eruptions,  215. 

D 

Daily  sweat,  value  of,  25. 
Darkness,  child's  fear  of,  277. 
D'Arsonval  galvanometer,  ex- 
periments on,  201. 
Darwin,  on  plant   feeling,  71. 
Dawn    of    scientific    healing, 

253- 
Daydreaming,   use   and   abuse 

of,  451- 
Dead  bodies,  overcoming  fear 

of,  374- 

Death,  caused  by  fright,  119; 
caused  by  worry,  148;  rate, 
the,  151 ;  rate,  psychic  factor 
in,  270;  the  fear  of,  428. 

Deep  breathing  and  brain  ac- 
tion, 24;  and  shallow,  186, 
271 ;  in  cure  of  invalidism, 
204. 

Defeat,  effects  on  health,  150. 

Delusions,  39;  ancient  health, 
79 ;  origin  of,  95 ;  result  of 
fear,  226;  in  relation  to 
sight,  244. 

Demonology  and  temple  sleep, 
81 ;    in    relation   to    healing, 

lOI. 

Dendrites,  the,  xiii. 


544 


INDEX 


Depression,  relieved  by  exer- 
cise, 25. 

De  Quincey,  on  opium,  445. 

Despair,  religious  cure  of,  485. 

Despondency,  due  to  toxins,  8 ; 
from  defective  elimination, 
9;  and  sunlight,  22;  and 
shallow  breathing,  24;  and 
metabolism,  29 ;  and  the  fear 
life,  108;  effects  on  nutrition, 
174;  cured  by  prayer,  181; 
cured  by  deep  breathing, 
187;  perverted  prayer  in, 
482. 

Determination,  and  the  faith 
life,  109. 

Devil-chasing  mania,  317. 

Diagnosis,  in  relation  to  path- 
ology, 260;  mental,  by  re- 
action method,   530. 

Diagram  of  psychology,  key 
to,  52. 

Diarrhoea,  caused  by  fear, 
170,  171 ;  caused  by  fright, 
205. 

Diet  and  mental  efficiency,  27; 
in  relation  to  intemperance, 
28;  in  relation  to  psycho- 
therapy, 263;  newspaper  in- 
fluence on,  365;  in  relation 
to  spirituality,  488. 

Difficulties,   minimizing,   376. 

Digestion,  an  illustration  of 
thinking,  4;  influence  upon 
the  mind,  26;  and  sleep,  26; 
mental  factors  in,  161 ; 
strength  of,  162;  improved 
by  diversion,  163;  slow,  167; 
worry,  or  nervous  dyspepsia, 


167;  and  nutrition,  175;  psy- 
chic influence  on,  270 ;  disor- 
ders, functional  and  organic, 
291 ;  disorders,  in  relation  to 
psychotherapy,  303. 

Dilatation  of  the  heart,  psy- 
chic, 119. 

Dipsomania,  moral  mastery  of, 

319- 

Discounting  fear  and  sensa- 
tion, 375. 

Disease,  determined  by  fixed 
laws,  6;  due  to  mental 
causes,  12;  and  the  mind,  31 ; 
caused  by  unhealthy  emo- 
tions, 42 ;  in  relation  to  mar- 
ginal consciousness,  67;  and 
superstitution,  78;  in  rela- 
tion to  demons,  81 ;  and 
Providence,  84;  faith  and 
fear  in,  99,  148,  249;  the  soil 
of,  149;  prevention  of,  258; 
methods  of  investigating, 
259;  resistance  of,  the  mind 
in,  269;  psychology  of,  289; 
acute  and  chronic,  291 ;  acute 
and  chronic,  defined,  293; 
philosophy  of,  294;  defined, 
294;  the  language  of,  244; 
psychic  element  in,  300; 
cause  and  cure  of,  300;  the 
denial  of,  300;  a  result  of 
sin,  318;  as  a  cause  of  sin, 
318;  the  Bible  on,  321 ;  men- 
tal origin  of,  364;  influenced 
by  dreams  and  imagination, 
408 ;  in  relation  to  "  complex 
formation,"  410;  morbid 
contemplation  of,  432. 


INDEX 


545 


Diseased  mind  and  false  diffi- 
culties, 43 ;  imagination,  dan- 
gers of,  43 ;  imagination,  de- 
fined, 96. 

Diseases,  how  they  influence 
the  mind,  21 ;  imaginary,  43, 
47,  50;  functional  and  or- 
ganic, 289;  functional  and 
organic,  compared,  291 ; 
miscellaneous,  293;  curable 
by  psychic  influences,  301, 
302 ;  of  the  circulation  in  re- 
lation to  the  mind,  302;  in- 
curable by  psychic  influ- 
ences, 303;  partially  curable 
by  psychic  influences,  303; 
mental  and  nervous,  in  re- 
lation to  the  mind,  304;  res- 
piratory, and  the  mind,  305 ; 
metabolic,  and  the  mind,  305 ; 
miscellaneous,  and  the  mind, 
305;  contagious  and  infec- 
tious, in  relation  to  the  mind, 
306;  of  civilization  and  sav- 
agery, 494. 

Dislocation  of  ideas,  407. 

Disposition,  influenced  by  di- 
gestion, 26. 

Dissatisfaction  and  the  fear 
life,  108;  versus  discontent, 
285. 

Dissociation  of  ideas,  411;  in 
nervous  shock,  419 ;  of  ideas, 
by  suggestion,  429;  in  me- 
diums, 466. 

Divine  healing,  sectarian  as- 
pects of,  262;  sustenance, 
331 ;  healing,  a  field  for  fak- 


ers, 457;  mind,  and  telepa- 
thy, 465. 

Divorces,  psychology  of,  282. 

Doctors,  neglect  of  mental 
medicine,  313;  relation  to 
healing  movements,  315. 

Dogs,  Pawlow's,  165,  167. 

Domestic  trouble  and  blood- 
pressure,  136;  emancipation, 
499. 

Double  function  of  one  mind, 
72. 

Doubts,  damnation  of,  333; 
disease-producing,  485. 

Dowieism  and  demonology, 
467. 

Dowie's  method  of  healing, 
106;  philosophy  of  disease 
and  healing,  432. 

Dreams,  suggestive,  408;  a 
cause  of  psychic  distur- 
bances, 408;  ''fixed,"  theory 
of,  412;  books,  a  supersti- 
tion, 460. 

Drink,  in  relation  to  blood- 
pressure,  136;  cures,  fraudu- 
lent, 319. 

Drinking  at  meals  and  worry, 

156. 

Dropsy,   caused  by   fear,   126, 

147- 
Drowsiness,     explanation     of, 

XV. 

Drugs,  effects  on  blood-pres- 
sure, 133;  in  medical  prac- 
tice, 254;  future  use  of,  259; 
habits,  psychic  factor  in, 
281 ;  habits,  the  mind  in  ov- 
ercoming, 282;  a  delusion  in 


546 


INDEX 


Drugs  —  continued 
worry,  381 ;  effects  on  con- 
sciousness, 445. 

Drunkenness  and  psychother- 
apy, 307*  319- 

Dual  nature  of  one  mind,  66. 

Dubois,  on  false  hydrophobia, 
202;  on  reeducation  of  the 
will,  419. 

Ductless  glands,  the,  182,  271. 

Dynamometer  tests,  modified 
by  the  mind,  199. 

Dyspepsia  and  mental  vigor, 
30;  mental  origin  of,  162; 
cured  by  sociability,  163; 
quick  lunch,  163;  psychic, 
163;  nervous,  167;  cured  by 
psychic  fads,  176;  cured  by 
deep  breathing,  187;  mental 
prevention  of,  270;  made 
worse  by  contemplation,  448. 

Dyspeptic  grouch,  the,  26. 


Eating,  in  relation  to  thinking, 
26,  27;  between  meals,  why 
harmful,  28. 

Economy  of  habit,  the,  340. 

Eddy,  Mrs.,  her  spiritistic  re- 
volt, 257;  philosophy  of  dis- 
ease and  healing,  430. 

Education,  of  inactive  brain 
centres,  17;  results  in  phys- 
ical brain  changes,  18;  and 
the  judgment,  49;  evils  of 
stereotyped,  500. 

Effect  of  the  mind  on  the  brain, 
220 :  of  mind  on  the  nervous 


system,  229 ;  of  the  emotions 
on  the  nerves,  229. 

Electrical  belts,  cures  due  to 
suggestion,  431. 

Electrical-reaction  area,  213. 

Electricity  and  suggestion  in 
insomnia,  438. 

Electropaths,  mission  of,  255. 

Electrotherapy,  in  connection 
with  psychotherapy,  263. 

Elephant,  illustration  of  imag- 
inary bondage,  360. 

Elimination  and  brain  action, 
30;  skin,  and  the  mind,  211. 

Emancipated  life,  the,  493. 

Emancipation  of  medical  prac- 
tice, 253. 

Emmanuel  movement,  dangers 
of,  314;  in  relation  to  hyp- 
notism, 470. 

Emotional  response  of  the 
heart,  118;  energy,  413; 
"trauma,"  414. 

Emotions,  as  influenced  by 
drugs,  17;  and  images,  40; 
defined,  41,  53;  physical  or- 
igin of,  41 ;  distorted,  a 
cause  of  disease,  42;  as  in- 
fluenced by  faith  and  fear, 
95;  effect  on  the  heart.  113; 
effect  on  blood-pressure, 
134;  poisons  of,  146;  effect 
on  urinary  flow,  159;  effect 
on  digestion,  161 ;  effect  on 
intestines,  166;  effect  on  the 
nervous  system,  229;  fearful, 
effects  of,  267;  a  factor  in 
suggestion,  317;  necessity 
of  control,  375;  revival  of, 


INDEX 


547 


407;  form  psychological 
ruts,  414 ;  religious  power  of, 
414,  422;  distinguished  from 
ideas,  445;  dangers  from 
•  strong,  446;  conventional, 
446;  the  control  of,  446; 
physical  reactions  of,  446; 
result  of  uncontrolled,  447. 

Empiricism  in  medicine,  253. 

Endurance,  effect  of  mind  on, 
198. 

Energy,  granules  of  the  neu- 
ron, xiii,  512;  relation  to 
sleep,  XV ;  restored  by  rest, 
30 ;  discharged  by  fear,  223 ; 
leakage,  344. 

Enteroptosis,  in  relation  to  the 
mind,  207;  prevented  by 
cheerfulness,  272. 

Enthusiasm  and  the  faith  life, 
109. 

Environment,  in  relation  to 
consciousness,  75 ;  psychic 
element  in,  276;  effects  on 
character,  280;  harmonizing 
with,  400. 

Enzymes,   action   of,   167. 

Epidemics,  psychology  of,  296. 

Epilepsy,  ancient  cure  of,  80; 
psychic  origin  of,  236;  a  case 
of,  demonstrating  memory, 
409,  518. 

Equilibrium,  centre  of,  xiii. 

Errors,  ancient,  and  mental 
healing,  5 ;  of  vision,  38 ;  ef- 
fects on  mental  action,  41 ; 
defined,  52. 

Eruptions,  skin,  psychic  origin 
of,  215. 


Evolution,  10;  of  modern  psy- 
chology, 25 ;  of  psychic  into 
physical  diseases,  295. 

Examples  of  ancient  medical 
superstition,  80;  of  astrol- 
ogy. 85. 

Excitement  and  the  blood-pres- 
sure, 134;  needless,  395. 

Excretions,  as  chemical  mes- 
sengers, 7. 

Exercise  and  mental  activity, 
25;   and  mental   depression, 

495- 
Exhaustion,    psychic    cure   of, 

273- 

Expression,  muscles  of,  203; 
psychic  element  in,  247. 

Extravagant  tension,  393. 

Eye,  as  related  to  sight,  17; 
strain,  effects  on  mind,  33; 
inaccuracies  of  function,  38; 
diseases,  ancient  cure  for, 
80 ;  strain,  from  nervous  ten- 
sion, 393. 


Fads,  therapeutic  message  of, 
255;  health,  a  cause  of 
worry,  365 ;  psychic  value  of, 
383;   psychic,   457. 

Faith,  psychology  of,  92;  de- 
fined, 92;  influence  on  the 
mind,  93;  modifies  sensa- 
tions, 93,  95;  in  relation  to 
mental  mastication,  95;  ac- 
tion on  imagination,  96;  ac- 
tion on  phantasy,  96;  effects 
on  mental  digestion,  96;  in 
relation  to   idea-association. 


548 


INDEX 


Faith  —  continued 
98;  effect  on  higher  mental 
powers,  98;  in  relation  to 
character,  99;  in  health  and 
disease,  99;  a  health  pro- 
moter, 99,  106;  healing,  as 
a  cure,  102;  the  master  key 
to  mental  healing,  106,  107; 
healing,  principles  of,  107; 
life,  factors  in,  107;  effects 
on  heart  action,  114;  effects 
on  the  circulation,  122,  268; 
effects  on  blood-pressure, 
131 ;  psychologic  and  theo- 
logic,  140;  effects  on  vital 
resistence,  143;  effects  on 
antitoxins,  147;  resists  in- 
fection, 148,  150;  effects  on 
healing,  149;  on  secreting 
glands,  153;  on  digestion, 
161 ;  on  bowels,  170;  on  met- 
abolism, 173;  secret  of  heal- 
ing, 176;  effects  on  assimila- 
tion, 177;  on  the  ductless 
glands,  183;  on  respiration, 
186;  on  muscular  action, 
198;  on  strength,  199;  on 
skin  action,  209;  on  heat 
regulation,  209;  on  elimina- 
tion, 211;  on  sensation,  215; 
on  brain,  220;  on  nervous 
system,  229;  on  special 
senses,  241 ;  a  beautifier, 
248;  summary  of  effects, 
249;  delivers  from  hered- 
itary bondage,  281 ;  an  aid 
to  temperance,  282;  in  the 
family  life,  283 ;  an  antitoxin 
for  fear,  286 ;  a  vital  energy, 


315;  greater  definition  of, 
316;  the  Bible  on,  321;  the 
liberty  of,  324;  the  essential 
of  life,  324;  assurance  of, 
328;  reward  of,  329;  essen-  • 
tial  to  psychic  healing, 
330;  material  aids  to,  331; 
the  philosophy  of  Christian- 
ity, 334;  Biblical  comparison 
with  fear,  335;  false,  com- 
pared to  morphine,  382;  es- 
sential to  suggestion,  427. 

Fakes,  psychic,  457. 

False  sympathy  and  selfishness, 

394- 

Family  trouble  and  blood-pres- 
sure, 136;  and  intemperance, 
282 ;  life,  psychology  of,  282 ; 
life,  crushed  by  society,  500. 

Fanaticism,   religious,   363. 

Fashion,  the  fear  of,  342; 
slavery  to,  494. 

Fatigue,  due  to  toxins,  8;  in 
relation  to  mind  and  body,  9 ; 
in  relation  to  the  will,  59; 
muscular,  and  fear,  199 ;  de- 
creased by  faith,  200 ;  muscu- 
lar, of  psychic  origin,  201 ; 
produced  by  fear,  223;  of 
fear,  the,  296;  psychology 
of,  297;  of  work  and  worry, 
297;  state,  the,  392;  sugges- 
tive, 392 ;  treated  by  indiffer- 
ence, 392;  and  the  emotions, 
414;  states,  treatment  of, 
418;  physiological,  theory 
of,  418;  psychic,  theory  of, 
418;       psychic-pathological. 


INDEX 


549 


theory  of,  419;  of  neuras- 
thenia, 419. 
Fear,  Mosso  on  its  bodily  reac- 
tions, 19 ;  psychology  of,  92 ; 
defined,  92;  influence  on  the 
mind  93 ;  modifies  sensations, 
93>  95;  ir^  relation  to  mental 
mastication,  95 ;  effects  on 
imagination,  96 ;  on  phantasy 
96;  on  mental  digestion,  96; 
on  memory,  97;  on  idea-as- 
sociation, 98 ;  on  higher  men- 
tal powers,  98;  a  mental 
plight,  98;  in  relation  to 
character,  99;  action  on 
children,  99;  a  universal 
mental  disease,  99;  in 
health  and  disease,  99;  a 
disease  producer,  106;  life, 
factors  in,  107;  a  vital  de- 
pressant, 114;  effects  on 
heart  action,  114;  on  circula- 
tion, 122,  268;  on  blood-pres- 
sure, 131 ;  in  an  ex-convict, 
133;  effects  on  vital  resist- 
ance, 143;  produces  subtle 
poisons,  146;  effects  on  anti- 
bodies, 147;  on  infection, 
148;  on  healing,  149;  on  the 
secretory  glands,  153;  on  di- 
gestion, 161 ;  on  the  bowels, 
170;  on  metabolism,  173;  on 
assimilation,  177;  on  duct- 
less glands,  183;  on  respira- 
tion, 186;  on  muscular  ac- 
tion, 198;  on  strength,  199; 
acute,  diverse  effects  of, 
205;  effects  on  skin  action, 
209 ;  on  heat  regulation,  209 ; 


on  elimination,  211;  on  sen- 
sation, 215;  on  brain,  220; 
on  nervous  system,  229;  on 
special  senses,  241 ;  a  beauty 
destroyer,  248;  summary  of 
effects,  249;  psychic  deliv- 
erance from,  261 ;  effects  on 
body,  267 ;  a  factor  in  plague 
mortality,  270;  influence  017 
children,  276,  279;  of  dark- 
ness, by  children,  277 ;  deliv- 
erance from,  in  infancy,  277; 
in  relation  to  birthmarks, 
279;  condemns  to  hereditary 
bondage,  281 ;  disguised  as 
forethought,  281 ;  in  the 
family  life,  283;  a  psychic 
disease,  286;  a  psychic  con- 
tagion, 295,  296;  the  fatigue 
of,  296;  the  casting-out  of, 
297;  conquered  by  faith, 
298;  the  Bible  on,  321;  the 
bondage  of,  323 ;  the  reward 
of,  329 ;  the  torment  of,  330 ; 
the  spirit  of,  332 ;  the  sword 
of,  333 ;  the  blight  of,  333 ; 
a  factor  in  worry,  357;  re- 
place with  faith,  373;  the 
ancestor  of  worry,  374;  dis- 
counting, 375;  of  insanity, 
297 ;  as  a  religion,  401 ;  a 
factor  in  civilization,  401 ; 
associative  memories  of, 
407;  in  relation  to  dreams, 
408;  Prof.  Mosso  on,  433. 
Feelings,  as  influenced  by 
drugs,  17;  defined,  39,  52; 
psychic  nature  of,  94;  indi- 
cated on  galvanometer,  201 ; 


550 


INDEX 


psychic     element    of,     245; 
"tone,"  accompanying  ideas, 

413- 

Fetishes,  104. 

Fevers  and  brain  disorders, 
31;  wrong  treatment  of,  89; 
influenced  by  emotions,  217; 
psychic  factor  in,  273. 

Fibril  network  of  nerve  cells, 
xiv. 

Fictitious  sensations,  39;  trou- 
bles, 43;  worries,  361. 

Fidgety  state,  the,  389. 

Fiery  foods  and  fiery  thoughts, 
28.    . 

"  Fits,"  psychic  origin  of,  ^36. 

Flat  chest  and  frail  minds,  24. 

Flaubert,  on  imaginary  taste, 
242. 

Flesh,  mortification  of,  489. 

Fogs,  depressing  effects  of,  22. 

Food,  digestion  of,  illustration 
of  thinking,  16;  combination 
and  the  mind,  28;  effects  of 
irritating,  28. 

Forethought,  in  contrast  with 
fear  thought,  350. 

Forgetfulness,  theory  of,  411. 

Fortune-telling,  a  psychic 
fraud,  459. 

Fractures  and  mind  cures,  308. 

Frend,  Prof.,  on  psycho-neu- 
roses, 415. 

Fresh  air  and  the  intellect,  22. 

Fretting,  destructive  influence 

oi,  359- 
Fright,  nervous  exhaustion  of, 
419;  illustration  of  physical 
effects,  433. 


Function  of  brain  hemispheres, 
16;  of  special  senses,  514. 

Functional  diseases,  from  men- 
tal causes,  12;  defined,  289; 
the  special  field  of  psycho- 
therapy, 290,  301 ;  compared 
with  organic,  291 ;  evolution 
into  organic,  295;  in  rela- 
tion to  "  complex  forma- 
tion," 410;  helped  by  prayer, 
480. 

G 

Gait,  physical,  and  the  mind, 
200. 

Galvanometer,  fatigue  experi- 
ments on,  201. 

Games,  in  treatment  of  worry, 

383. 

Ganglia,  the  spinal,  xii,  508; 
of  the  sympathetic,  xiv; 
basal,  work  of,  506. 

Gastric  juice,  and  the  emo- 
tions, 161 ;  quality  of,  162. 

Gault,  Prof.,  on  optical  sug- 
gestion, 245. 

Germs,  in  relation  to  faith  and 
fear,  149. 

"  Getting  on  the  nerves,"  393. 

Giantism,  184. 

Gift  of  tongues,  the,  463. 

Gladstone,  on  worry,  381. 

Glands,  secretory,  and  the 
mind,  153;  the  ductless,  182. 

Glandular  secretion  and  the 
mind,  11. 

God  as  a  healer,  321 ;  susten- 
ance of,  331. 

Goethe,  on  psycho-prophylaxis, 
269. 


INDEX 


551 


Goitre,  exopthalmic,  and  anx- 
5  iety,  116;  effects  of  mental 
I        state  on,  183. 

Golden  rule,  the  life  of,  383. 

Good-Samaritan  work,  383;  a 
cure  of   despondency,  436. 

Gormandizing  and  mental  ac- 
tion, 29. 

Gospel  of  relaxation,  the,  397; 
of  reckoning,  488. 

Gout,  ancient  cure  for,  80. 

Grant,  Gen.,  headache  cured  by 
Lee's  surrender,  435. 

Grave's  disease  and  anxiety, 
116. 

Gray  hair,  produced  by  fear, 
214;  Metchnikoff's  theory 
of,  234. 

Greeks,  healing  delusions  of, 
81. 

Grief,  and  the  fear  life,  108; 
and  the  circulation,  123 ;  and 
blood-pressure,  138 ;  effect 
on  nutrition,  174,  175;  par- 
alyzing effects  of,  182;  spir- 
itual, 485. 

H 

"  Habit  sensation,"  origin  of, 
95 ;  cough,  192 ;  the  chronic 
kicking,  354 ;  bondage,  power 
of,  361 ;  fatigue,  in  neuras- 
thenia, 389;  the  happiness, 
401. 

Habits,  in  relation  to  the 
nerves,  18;  how  formed,  51; 
power  of,  51 ;  defined,  54, 
340 ;  and  the  subconscious 
mind,  66,  68;  effect  on  gal- 


vanometer tests,  202;  our 
master,  280;  physiology  and 
psychology  of,  338;  nervous 
mechanism  of,  338;  forma- 
tion of,  339;  of  thinking, 
how  formed,  340;  sensory 
factors  in,  340;  economy 
and  tyranny  of,  340;  in  chil- 
dren, 341 ;  automatic,  in  cure 
of  nervous,  345;  nervous 
rhythm  of,  346;  can  they  be 
changed?  347;  how  they 
master  us,  413;  basal  gang- 
lia, as  concerned  in,  506. 

Hair,  destroyed  by  worry,  148; 
discolored  by  fear,  214. 

Hallucinations,  39;  origin  of, 
95 ;  result  of  fear,  226 ;  in 
relation  to  hearing,  244. 

"  Hand-squeeze "  power,  les- 
sened by  fear,  199. 

Happiness  and  the  faith  life, 
T08 ;  promotes  nervous  econ- 
omy, 223;  psychology  of, 
285;  hunger  for,  a  cause  of 
worry,  351 ;  the  habit  of,  401. 

Hardening  of  the  arteries,  ef- 
fect on  the  mind,  32. 

Harmonizing  with  environ- 
ment, 400. 

Harp,  compared  to  the  brain, 
16. 

Hate,  conquered  by  love,  298. 

Hatred,  and  the  fear  life,  108. 

Hay- fever  and  asthma,  194; 
cured  by  suggestion,  195; 
excited  by  a  wax  rose,  411. 

Headache,  from  deficient  elim- 
ination, 9;   from  the  stom- 


55^ 


INDEX 


Headache  —  continued 
ach,  26;  from  intestinal  dis- 
orders, 29;  from  disorders 
of  the  nose  and  eye,  32 ;  an- 
cient cure  for,  80 ;  and  blood- 
pressure,  132;  powders,  133; 
suggestive  cure  of,  434. 

Healing,  in  relation  to  relics, 
82;  not  an  evidence  of  di- 
vinity, 90;  faith,  principles 
of,  107;  not  an  evidence  of 
righteousness,  107;  power, 
the,  149 ;  dependent  on  faith, 
176;  dawn  of  scientific,  253; 
promoted  by  cheerfulness, 
269;  movements,  in  relation 
to  doctor  and  minister, 
314;  the  Bible  on,  322;  faith 
essential  to,  330;  cults,  sug- 
gestion in,  430;  methods  of 
non-drug,  440;  cults,  rapid 
spread  of,  441 ;  fakes  and 
frauds,  457;  magnetic,  a 
fraud,  463. 

Health,  determined  by  fixed 
laws,  6;  safeguarded  by 
mind,  1 1 ;  and  disease,  in  re- 
lation to  the  mind,  21 ;  pro- 
moted by  sunlight,  22 ;  ideas, 
conflict  with  disease 
thoughts,  48;  and  faulty 
judgment,  49;  in  relation  to 
the  marginal  consciousness, 
67;  in  relation  to  supersti- 
tion, 78;  delusions,  ancient, 
79;  delusions,  later,  87;  faith 
and  fear  in,  99,  249 ;  defined, 
294;  the  affirmation  of,  300; 
and   disease,    the    Bible   on, 


321;  divine  source  of,  322; 
in  relation  to  worry,  364; 
fads,  a  cause  of  worry,  365 ; 
improvements,  cures  worry, 
382;  influenced  by  dreams 
and  imagination,  408;  influ- 
enced by  emotions,  414;  in 
relation  to  suggestion,  432; 
in  relation  to  righteousness, 
490. 

Hearing,  how  aroused,  37;  an 
illustration  of  psychic  opera- 
tions, 66 ;  psychic  element  in, 
243;  sense  of,  515. 

Heart,  supposed  seat  of  soul, 
15;  diseases,  and  the  mind, 
31 ;  how  affected  by  emo- 
tions, 113,  115,  116;  strength, 
and  the  emotions,  114;  fail- 
ure, and  suggestion,  114; 
rate,  115;  rest,  116;  nutri- 
tion of,  117;  endurance  of, 
117;  failure,  prevented  by 
faith,  118;  diseases,  and 
worr)^,  118;  emotional  re- 
sponse of,  118;  psychic  re- 
sponse of,  119;  psychic  dila- 
tation of,  119;  nervous 
mechanism  of,  120;  sensa- 
tions referred  to,  120;  as 
concerned  in  blood-pressure, 
141 ;  failure,  and  apoplexy, 
141 ;  failure,  psychic  preven- 
tion of,  268;  diseases  func- 
tional and  organic,  291 ;  dis- 
eases, in  relation  to  psycho- 
therapy, 302. 

Heat,  regulation,  influence  of 
mind  on,  209 ;  stroke,  and  the 


INDEX 


553 


mental  state,  213;  sense  of, 
1^        and  the  mind,  216;  regula- 
I         tion,  process  of,  216;  psychic 
control  of,  273 ;  stroke,  con- 
ditions in,  308. 
Heaviness,  physical  effects  of, 

329 
Hebrew  priests  and  sanitation, 

I         312. 

Hemispheres  of  brain,  func- 
tion of,  16. 

Hemorrhages  and  the  mind, 
308. 

Hereditary  knowledge,  47. 

Heredity,  in  relation  to  con- 
sciousness, 75 ;  psychic  ele- 
ment in,  276,  277;  influence 
of  mother's  mind  on,  278; 
laws  of,  280. 

Hiccoughing  and  yawning, 
193;  control  of,  195. 

High  living,  in  relation  to  in- 

[  temperance  and  morals,  28; 

^  blood-pressure,    significance 

of,  132;  pressure  living,  268. 

Higher  mental  powers,  in  re- 
lation to  faith  and  fear,  98. 

Hindoo  magician,  performance 
photographed,  458. 

Hobgoblins,  effect  on  children, 
276. 

Hodge,  Dr.,  on  fatigue,  296. 

Holiday,  half,  beneficial  to  the 
'i,  mind,  31 ;  improves  metabol- 
l  ism,  180;  a  worry  cure,  380. 

Holy  Spirit,  the,  and  telepathy, 

465. 
Home,  the  simple  life  for,  499. 


Homeopathy,  mission  of,  254; 
sectarian  role  of,  262. 

Honey-bees,  fatigue  experi- 
ments on,  296. 

Hoodoos,    a    form    of   worry, 

359- 
Hope,  health-giving,  485. 
Hopefulness  and  the  faith  life, 

108. 
"  Hormones,"  defined,  7 ;   role 

of,    158;    modified   by    fear, 

146;  a   factor  in   nutrition, 

173- 

Horses,  experiments  on  tel- 
epathy, 463. 

Household,  cares  and  worry, 
366;  diseases,  495;  keeping, 
useless  burdens  of,  499. 

How  the  mind  is  influenced  by 
bodily  states,  21 ;  we  think, 
psychology,  35. 

Howard,  Major,  on  suggestion 
and  pain,  434. 

Human  brain,  the,  xi. 

Hunger,  significance  of,  19;  a 
factor  in  digestion,  161. 

Hurry,  needless,  395;  chronic 
habit  of,  346. 

Hydropaths,  mission  of,  255. 

Hydrophobia,  imaginary,  149, 
202,  227. 

Hydrotherapy,  mission  of,  255 ; 
in  connection  with  psycho- 
therapy, 263. 

Hygiene  and  psychotherapy, 
psychic  dangers  of,  296;  in 
relation  to  prayer,  484. 

Hypnotism,  relation  to  con- 
sciousness, 69,  74,  75;  and 


554 


INDEX 


Hypnotism  — continued 
healing,  loi ;  suggestion  in, 
not  ideal,  373 ;  a  false  worry 
cure,  381,  382;  a  failure  in 
nervousness,  402;  recall  of 
lost  memories  in,  412;  value 
of,  in  psychoanalysis,  416; 
a  failure  in  reeducation,  420, 
451 ;  erroneous  ideas  con- 
cerning, 421 ;  unnecessary  to 
suggestion,  430;  in  relation 
to  crystal-gazing,  460;  its 
place  in  psychotherapy,  469 ; 
the  morals  of,  470;  the  psy- 
chology of,  470;  compared 
with  mesmerism,  470;  sup- 
pression of  public  exhibi- 
tions, 471 ;  weakens  the  will, 

477. 

Hypochondria,  a  state  of  mind, 
226;  caused  by  worry,  362. 

Hypochondriac,  the,  389. 

Hyslop,  Dr.,  on  therapeutics  of 
prayer,  478. 

Hysteria,  theory  of,  235,  411; 
and  the  marginal  conscious- 
ness, 235;  caused  by  worry, 
362;  deformities  of,  from 
dissociation,  412. 

Hysteric,  the,  389. 

Hysterical  contractures,  case 
of,  203. 


Ice  bag,  in  weak  heart,  117. 

Idea  association,  by  sugges- 
tion, 429. 

Idea  discrimination,  48;  de- 
fined, 54. 


Ideas,  how  originated,  xv;  il- 
legitimate, 45 ;  association 
of,  47;  defined,  48,  54;  false, 
deception  by,  406;  disloca- 
tion of,  407;  dissociation  of, 
41 1 ;  conserved  in  the  mar- 
ginal consciousness,  428; 
and    emotions,    control    of, 

445- 
Identity,  how  maintained,   15. 
Ignorance,    the    bondage    of, 

5 ;  and  ancient  medicine,  35 ; 

diseases  of,  485. 
Illusions,  optical,  38 ;  origin  of, 

95- 

Images,  and  emotions,  40; 
true  and  false,  41 ;  defined, 
52.^ 

Imaginary  diseases,  and  diffi- 
culties, 43,  47,  50 ;  and  faulty 
judgment,  49;  reality  of, 
231;  cures,  status  of,  283; 
bondage,  chains  of,  360. 

Imagination,  and  opium,  17; 
and  phantasy,  42;  functions 
of,  42;  defined,  53;  action 
of  faith  and  fear  on,  96 ;  dis- 
eased, defined,  96;  in  rela- 
tion to  disease,  269;  the  cli- 
mate of  the  soul,  285;  and 
suggestion,  408. 

Immorality,  and  high  living, 
28;  a  cause  of  worry,  362; 
diseases  of,  485. 

Impress  of  mind  upon  matter, 
19. 

Impression,  a  factor  in  mem- 
ory, 46,  53- 


INDEX 


555 


Inaccuracies  o£  thinking,  the, 

38. 
Indigestion,  and  mental  rigor, 

30;   mental   origin  of,    163; 

and  the  mental   state,   176; 

psychic  prevention  of,  270. 
Individual,  the  unity  of,  6. 
Industrial    causes    of    worry, 

367. 

Infancy,  the  habit- forming  pe- 
riod, 339. 

Infections,  acute,  and  brain 
disorders,  31 ;  and  fever,  148, 
149;  diseases,  in  relation  to 
psychotherapy,    307. 

Infirmity,  the  spirit  of,  360. 

Inflammations  and  the  mental 
state,  123,  128. 

Influence,  the  physical  diseases 
in  the  mind,  21 ;  of  faith  and 
fear  on  the  mind,  93;  of 
mind  on  the  circulation,  122; 
on  vital  resistance,  143 ;  on 
respiration,  186;  on  skin  and 
heat  regulation,  209;  on  spe- 
cial senses,  241. 

Insane,  ignorant  treatment  of, 
6;  treatment  of,  88. 

Insanity,  and  superstition,  88; 
and  heart  disorders,  118; 
and  blood-pressure,  132; 
physical  improvement  in, 
182 ;  in  relation  to  conscious- 
ness, 235;  resulting  from 
psychic  shock,  408;  increase 
of,  497. 

Insomnia,  from  deficient  elim- 
ination, 9;  and  blood-pres- 
sure, 132 ;  suggestion  in,  372, 


438;  relieved  by  relaxation, 
398;  a  cause  of  neurastheia, 
440. 

Insomniac,  the,  389. 

Instinct,  significance  of,  19; 
animal,  47;  voice  of,  71. 

Intellect,  seat  of,  15;  relation 
to  brain  and  personality,  16; 
and  right-handedness,  16; 
builder  of  personality,  17; 
and  disease,  21 ;  and  fresh 
air,  22 ;  destroyed  by  dyspep- 
sia, 30. 

Intellectual,  centres  of  brain, 
xi ;  operations,  in  relation  to 
consciousness,  68 ;  conscious- 
ness, the,  70;  consciousness, 
and  the  nerves,  y2. 

Intelligence,  relation  to  brain, 
size,  18;  universal,  and  tel- 
epathy, 464. 

Intemperance,  and  diet,  28.; 
psychic  factor  in,  281 ;  and 
blood-pressure,   282. 

Internal  glands,  secretions  of, 
32. 

Intestinal  fermentation  and  the 
mind,  26',  and  mental  slug- 
gishness, 29;  action  on  the 
emotions,  166;  effects  on 
mind,  169. 

Intestines,  muscular  move- 
ments of,  205. 

Intoxication,  relation  to  psy- 
chotherapy, 307. 

Introspection,  a  cause  of  dis- 
ease, 486. 

Intuition,  defined,  47,  54;  re- 
lation to  consciousness,  75. 


556 


INDEX 


Invalidism,     cured     by     deep 

breathing,  204;  chronic,  355. 
Investigating  disease,  methods 

of,  259. 
Involuntary     spinal     reflexes, 

xiii. 
Irregular       practitioners       of 

medicine,  440. 
Isaiah,    on    mind    and    health, 

322;  on  poultices,  331. 
Itching,  psychic  origin  of,  215. 
Itch-mite  and  mind  cure,  308. 


Jacksonian  epilepsy,  demon- 
strating  memory,   409,    518. 

Jacob,  experiments  of,  on  sug- 
gestion, 328. 

James,  on  faith,  324. 

James,  Prof.,  on  impress  of 
mind  on  matter,  19 ;  on  cure 
of  worry,  383;  on  therapeu- 
tics of  prayer,  478. 

Jaundice,  9;  caused  by  fright, 

157- 

Jews,  health  practices  of,  312. 

Job,  sufferings  of,  323;  his 
psychology,  330. 

John,  on  faith,  324. 

Johnson,  Samuel,  obsession 
of,  285. 

Joy,  and  heart  action,  114; 
effect  on  expression,  203 ;  on 
the  mind,  226;  the  secret  of, 
496. 

Judgment  and  reason,  49;  de- 
fined, 49,  54;  as  influenced 
by  faith  and  fear,  98. 


K 


Key  to  diagram  of  psychology, 
52. 

Kicking,  habit,  chronic,  354; 
posts,  an  obsession,  342. 

Kidney,  inaction  and  depres- 
sion, 9 ;  action,  and  the  mind, 
30;  mental  factor  in  secre- 
tion of,  159;  granular, 
caused  by  anxiety,  159. 

Kidneys,  as  the  abode  of  the 
intellect,  15. 

"Kings'  evil"  (see  scrofula). 


Labor,  difficulties,  and  worry, 
367. 

Laboratory,  modern  psycho- 
logical, 35;  in  the  study  of 
disease,  260. 

Lacethin  of  urine,  influenced 
by  mind,  240. 

Lachrymal  gland  and  the  emo- 
tions, 154. 

Language  of  disease,  the,  294. 

Laughter,  a  worry  cure,  379. 

Lee,  Annie,  spasms  of,  285. 

Legal  regulation  of  psychic 
frauds,  457. 

Lehmann's  experiments  on 
telepathy,  463. 

Lencocytosis,  and  the  mental 
state,  144. 

Liberty  of  faith,  the,  324. 

Life,  not  controlled  by  physical 
laws,  only,  10;  failures,  from 
indigestion,  26;  the  eman- 
cipated, 493. 


INDEX 


557 


Light,  recognition  of,  65;  an 
illustration  of  psychic  opera- 
tions, 65. 

Lighting  of  schools  and  work 
rooms,  23. 

Lincoln,  on  trouble,  376;  mel- 
ancholia   of,   285. 

Linement,  reputation  depend- 
ing on  suggestion,  435. 

Liquor  cures,  fraudulent,  319. 

Liver,  regulation  of  secre- 
tions, 7;  as  the  seat  of  the 
intellect,  15;  congestion  of, 
and  the  "  blues,"  24 ;  a  poison 
destroyer,  27;  action,  and 
the  mind,  30;  and  the  pan- 
creas, 157. 

Living,  easy,  the  art  of,  379. 

Local  congestion,  and  the 
mind,  126;  blood  supply,  and 
the  mind,  211. 

Lockjaw,  imaginary,  149; 
false,  202,  206. 

Loss  of  memory,  from  indiges- 
tion, 27;  theory  of,  412;  and 
fear  of  insanity,  447;  of 
sleep,  worry  over,  448. 

Lourdes  water  and  suggestion, 

439- 

Love,  and  the  faith  life,  108; 
influence  on  nutrition,  177; 
the  gospel  of,  401. 

Low  blood-pressure  and  ner- 
vous prostration,  134. 

Lunacy,  delusion  of,  108. 

Lung  disorders  and  the  mind, 
31 ;  effects  on  the  mind,  188; 
strength  and  capacity,  189. 


Luxury,  effects  of,  497. 
Lymph  stream,  the,  146. 
Lymphacytosis,    influenced    by 
mental  state,  147. 


M 


Macrophages,  perverted  action 
of,  144. 

Magicians,  as  healers,  79. 

Magnetic  healing,  102;  a 
fraud,  463. 

Magnetism,  personal,  and  sug- 
gestion, 430. 

Malaria,  and  brain   disorders, 

31- 

Malicious  animal  magnetism 
and  telepathy,  463. 

Malnutrition,  cured  by  psychic 
fads,  176. 

Mammary  secretion,  the,  158; 
psychic  influence  on,  271. 

Man,  a  community  of  cells,  6; 
made  in  God's  image,  10; 
mind  of,  compared  to  mon- 
key, 18;  why  he  cannot  eat 
like  animals,  27;  a  three-fold 
being,  41,  71 ;  a  reasoning 
animal,  49;  defined,  52;  a 
religious  animal,  69;  the 
worry  animal,  351 ;  a  sug- 
gestible animal,  417;  an  out- 
door animal,  495;  incurably 
religious,  500. 

Manias,  forms  of,  431. 

Marginal  consciousness,  the, 
66;  defined,  66;  in  health 
and  disease,  67;  preferred  to 
subconscious  mind,  6y;  and 


5S8 


INDEX 


Marginal  consciousness  —  con. 
the  body,  68 ;  compared  with 
the  central  consciousness, 
73 ;  and  hysteria,  235 ;  latent 
ideas  in,  416;  tyranny  of, 
428;  a  creature  of  sugges- 
tion, 429 ;  in  relation  to  hap- 
piness, 429;  unused  energy 
of,  432 ;  effects  of  drugs  on, 
445;  in  trances  and  cata- 
lepsy, 461;  and  mediums, 
466. 

Massotherapy  in  connection 
with  psychotherapy,  263. 

Mastication,  an  aid  to  the 
mind,  29. 

Materia  medica,  in  relation  to 
psychotherapy,  264. 

Material  aids  to  faith,  331. 

Materialism,  recent  reaction 
against,  21,  257. 

Matter,  as  influenced  by  mind, 
4;  as  impressed  by  mind,  19. 

Maudsley,  Dr.,  on  effects  of 
fear,  148. 

Mediaeval  medical  schools,  83. 

Medical  superstition,  ancient, 
79,  80;  schools,  mediaeval, 
83;  errors,  88;  superstition, 
modern,  90;  student,  experi- 
ment on,  129;  practice, 
emancipation  of,  253 ; 
authority,  decline  of,  254; 
students,  suggestive  diseases 
of,  365- 

Medicinal  therapy  and  the 
doctor,  259. 

Medicine,    ancient,    35;    men. 


100;  schools  of,  and  sugges- 
tion, 430. 

Mediums,  controlled  by  per- 
sonal beliefs,  461 ;  honest 
and  dishonest,  466;  and  dis- 
sociation of  complexes,  466. 

Medulla  oblongata,  the,  xi, 
506;  relation  to  vital  work, 
60. 

Melancholia,  caused  by  indoor 
living,  23 ;  and  astrology,  86. 

Memory,  affected  by  dyspepsia 
poisons,  27;  loss  of,  from 
autointoxication,  29 ;  child 
confuses  with  imagination, 
43;  powers  of,  45;  defined, 
46,  53;  in  relation  to  false 
diseases,  47;  demoralized  by 
fear,  97;  theory  of  the  loss 
of,  145;  associative,  in  rela- 
tion to  worry,  350,  409; 
sometimes  a  mischief-maker, 
407;  demonstrated  in  a  case 
of  epilepsy,  409;  physiolog- 
ical, and  complex  formation, 
410;  failure  of,  from  dis- 
sociation, 412;  loss  of,  and 
fear  of  insanity,  447;  a  case 
of  chronological,  518. 
Menopause,    false   notions   of, 

397- 
Mental,  panic,  safeguards 
against,  xiv;  laziness  and 
toxins,  8,  27;  messages,  be- 
tween the  cells,  8 ;  messages, 
and  stomach  secretion,  9; 
causes  of  functional  dis- 
orders, 12 ;  safety  brake,  the, 
12 ;  dulness,  and  foul  air,  23 ; 


INDEX 


559 


vigor,  lessened  by  overwork, 
26;  efficiency  and  diet,  27; 
perversity  and  metabolism, 
30 ;  conclusions,  necessity 
for  checking  up,  38;  errors, 
due  to  inaccuracies  of  sensa- 
tion, 39 ;  mastication,  40,  95 ; 
dyspepsia,  96;  digestion,  96; 
malnutrition,  97;  powers,  ef- 
fects of  faith  and  fear  on, 
98;  telepathy  and  healing, 
loi,  463;  agitation  and  heart 
action,  119;  depression  and 
disease,  149;  endurance,  and 
the  psychic  state,  224;  origin 
of  nervous  disorders,  231 ; 
energy  and  the  psychic  state, 
273 ;  obsessions,  341 ;  un- 
easiness, results  of,  346; 
concentration,  a  cause  of 
worry,  349 ;  work  and  worry, 
358;  drugs,  or  false  teach- 
ing, 382;  emancipation,  495. 

Mental  action,  and  motor  reac- 
tion, 19,  271;  retarded  by 
fogs,  22;  and  muscular  ex- 
ercise,  25;  governed  by  the 
will,  58 ;  and  metabolism,  29, 
173;  inaccuracies  of,  38;  in 
vital  resistance,  269;  and 
prayer,  476. 

Mental  diagnosis  or  psycho- 
analysis, 414;  hypnotism  in, 
416;  method  of,  449;  by  the 
rtaction  method,  530. 

Mental  disorders,  functional 
and  organic,  292 ;  in  relation 
to  psychotherapy,  304. 


Mental  healing,  and  religious 
superstition,  5. 

Mental  hygiene  or  psycho- 
prophylaxis,  266. 

Mental  medicine,  faith  the 
master  key  to,  106;  and 
moral  hygiene,  311;  separa- 
tion from  medicine  and  reli- 
gion, 313. 

Mental  science  and  Christian- 
ity, 468. 

Mental  state,  the,  as  influenced 
by  acute  and  chronic  disease, 
31 ;  in  relation  to  conscious- 
ness, 68 ;  and  heart  strength, 
116;  influence  on  blood- 
pressure,  131 ;  on  vital  re- 
sistance, 143, 147 ;  in  relation 
to  antitoxins,  147;  and  diges- 
tion, 161 ;  and  intestinal  ac- 
tion, 169;  and  oxidation, 
178;  effect  on  muscles,  198; 
effects  on  brain,  220;  and 
nutrition,  271. 

Mental  therapeutics,  theory  of, 
68;  in  the  cure  of  worry, 
371. 

Merriness,  a  therapeutic  agent, 
29.  325- 

Merry  heart,  physical  effects 
of,  329. 

Mesmerism,  (see  hypnotism). 

Messengers,  chemical,  of  the 
blood,  7;  the  vital,  9. 

Metabolic  poisons,  and  the  in- 
tellect, 27;  disorders,  func- 
tional and  organic,  292;  re- 
lation to  psychotherapy,  304. 


56o 


INDEX 


Metabolism,  and  the  mind,  29; 
psychic  factor  in,  173;  fav- 
ored by  deep  breathing,  187; 
mental  influence  on,  271. 

Metchnikoff,  on  gray  hair,  234. 

Method  of  practising  reeduca- 
tion, 448. 

Microbes,  intestinal,  and  mind, 
29;  in  relation  to  faith  and 
fear,  149. 

Microscope,  the  emancipator 
of  medicine,  35 ;  in  the  study 
of  disease,  260. 

Midnight  suppers,  effects  of, 
26. 

Migraine,  in  relation  to  the 
psychic  state,  435. 

Milk  secretion,  altered  by 
anger,  146;  mental  factor  in, 

154,  159- 

Milton,  considered  crazy,  285. 

Mind,  and  matter,  3 ;  differ- 
entiated, 3 ;  what  is  it  ?  3 ;  as 
related  to  the  brain,  4,  17; 
how  expressed,  4;  the 
mother  of  thought,  4;  power 
over  matter,  4 ;  holds  balance 
of  power,  10;  supremacy  of, 
10;  the  monitor  of  health, 
11;  defined,  12;  ancient 
views  of,  15;  relation  to 
brain  and  personality,  16; 
the  designer  of  personality, 
17;  brain,  servant  of,  17;  as 
influenced  by  opium  and 
alcohol,  17;  compared  to 
musician,  17;  and  brain  size, 
18;  of  man  and  monkey,  18; 
dominated  by  the  will,   18; 


i^npress  of,  upon  matter,  19; 
as  influenced  by  bodily 
states,  21;  and  sunlight,  22; 
and  the  weather,  22;  in- 
fluenced by  the  stomach,  26 ; 
and  biliousness,  27 ;  and  con- 
diments, 28 ;  and  elimination, 
30 ;  as  influenced  by  rest,  30 ; 
possibilities  of  deception,  45 ; 
and  the  will,  57,  58;  dual 
nature  of,  66,  73;  the  con- 
scious, 66)  process  of  "  mak- 
ing up,"  67 ;  connects  morals 
and  matter,  73;  comparison 
of  conscious  and  subcon- 
scious, 73;  as  influenced  by 
faith  and  fear,  73;  and  the 
circulation,  122;  stamps  its 
tone  on  the  body,  148;  and 
the  secretory  glands,  153; 
influence  on  respiration, 
186;  in  asthma  and  hay- 
fever,  194;  and  skin  action, 
209;  and  heat  regulation, 
209;  and  electric  body  reac- 
tion, 213;  restored  by  deter- 
mination, 222;  and  the  ner- 
vous system,  229;  and  spe- 
cial senses,  241 ;  in  prevent- 
ing disease,  266;  in  prevent- 
ing indigestion,  270 ;  and  the 
muscles,  272;  influence  on 
animal  heat,  273;  in  char- 
acter development,  280;  in 
functional  and  organic  dis- 
eases, 290;  in  relation  to 
contagions,  306;  influenced 
by  dreams,  408 ;  the  "  new," 
417;    influenced  by   sugges- 


INDEX 


S6i 


tion,  428;  organization  of, 
444;  in  telepathy,  464;  new, 
[  in  old  body,  487 ;  and  matter, 
struggle  between,  487;  sim- 
ple life  for,  495. 

Mind  cure,  distorted  by  ignor- 
ance, 5 ;  false,  how  avoided, 
36;  in  imaginary  diseases, 
44;  and  reason,  50;  fraudu- 
^'  lent,  compared  to  drugs,  381 ; 
modern,  principles  of,  405; 
prayer,  the  master,  476,  484. 
^  Mind,  the  subconscious,  66; 
I  defined,  6y ;  compared  to  the 
conscious,  74. 

Ministers,  relation  to  Christian 
science,  257 ;  cooperation 
with  physicians,  314. 

Miracle  workers,  ancient,  83. 

Miscellaneous  diseases,  func- 
tional and  organic,  292. 

Misconceptions,  results  of,  45. 

Mission  of  pain,  the,  294. 

Mock  worries,  383. 

Modern  psychotherapy,  35 ; 
evolution  of,  255;  therapeu- 
tics, scope  of,  257;  methods 
of  investigating  disease,  259 ; 
psychotherapeutic  principles, 

405- 
Mohammed,     convulsions     of, 

285. 
Money,  mania  for  getting,  431. 
Monkey,  brain  of,  18. 
Monks,  as  healers,  83, 
Moods,  changing,  and  complex 

formation,  410. 
Moody,  Mr.,  on  welfare  of  the 

soul,  486. 


Moon,  and  agriculture,  86. 

Moral,  despair  from  deficient 
elimination,  9 ;  depression 
and  sunshine,  22 ;  nature  and 
bad  breathing,  25;  freedom, 
of  man,  50;  plane,  the,  6(); 
suggestion,  in  nervous  disor- 
d  e  r  s  ,  233 ;  therapeutics, 
necessity  for,  257,  422; 
therapy,  in  relation  to  doc- 
tors, 258 ;  hygiene,  and  men- 
tal medicine,  311;  mastery, 
the,  311;  causes  of  worry, 
362 ;  nutrition,  the,  380 ;  ele- 
ment in  prayer,  477 ;  emanci- 
pation, 500. 

Morality,  influenced  by  faith 
and  fear,  99. 

Morals,  as  influenced  by  dis- 
ease, 21. 

Moroseness,  and  the  fear  life, 
109. 

Morphine,  and  blood-pressure, 
29,  133,  282 ;  used  by  society, 

499- 

Morphinism,  307. 

Mortification  of  the  flesh,  489. 

Moses,  sanitary  laws  of,  312. 

Mosso,  Prof.,  on  bodily  reac- 
tions to  fear,  19 ;  on  fear  and 
fever,  433. 

Mother,  psychic  influence  on 
the  unborn,  278;  crushing 
care  of,  366. 

Motor,  centres  of  brain,  xi; 
reaction  of  consciousness, 
19;  "discharge,"  the  path 
of,  339- 


562 


INDEX 


Mouth    digestion,    importance 

of,  155- 

Mozart,  obsessions  of,  285. 

Multiple  personality,  theory  of, 
411 ;  a  case  of,  524. 

Muscle,  fatigue  and  the  mind, 
9;  affected  by  the  mental 
state,  198;  reading,  theory 
of,  206. 

Muscles,  of  expression,  203 ;  of 
mastication,  271 ;  contraction 
of,  in  bed,  398. 

Muscular  exercise  and  mental 
action,  25;  work,  and  the 
will,  59 ;  movements  of  stom- 
ach, 166,  205;  strength  and 
endurance,  198 ;  increased  by 
confidence,  199;  fatigue,  and 
fear,  199;  fatigue,  psychic, 
201 ;  spasms,  202 ;  relaxation, 
202;  sensation,  206;  system, 
and  the  mind,  2y2. 

Music,  effects  on  digestion, 
167;  psychic  factor  in  its  en- 
joyment, 243;  psychic  in- 
fluence of,  422;  stimulating 
and  depressing,  423. 

Musical  instrument,  illustra- 
tion of  the  brain,  17. 


N 


Narcotics,  used  by  society, 
499;  periodical  use  of,  346. 

Nations,  factors  in  downfall, 
494. 

Natural  reflexes,  xiii,  509. 

Nature,  liberal  provisions  of, 
17;  of  man,  three-fold,  71; 


of  sensations,  psychic,  94; 
trust  of,  a  worry  cure,  377; 
does  her  best  when  unmo- 
lested, 396. 

Nausea,  psychic,  9. 

Nero  and  the  magi,  79. 

Nerve,  impressions,  route  to 
brain,  xii;  habits,  how 
formed,  18;  supply  of  active 
cells,  19;  impulses,  in  rela- 
tion to  consciousness,  19; 
supply  of  the  cell,  174;  en- 
ergy, conserved  by  joy,  223; 
centres,  aroused  by  psychic 
power,  267;  strain,  finding 
cause  of,  396;  impulses, 
transmission  of,  511. 

Nerve  cells,  energy  granules 
of,  xiii;  in  brain  and  cord, 
8;  appearance  in  fatigue, 
296. 

Nerves,  the  cranial,  xii,  508; 
living  telegraph  wires,  4;  ir- 
ritated by  toxins,  8;  the 
trophic,  234;  conserved  in 
mind  cure,  301 ;  "  getting 
on,"  393;  anatomy  and 
physiology  of,  510. 

Nervous,  reflexes,  the,  xii; 
fatigue,  from  overwork,  9; 
control  of  heart,  116; 
dyspepsia,  167;  control,  and 
the  mind,  230;  strength,  in- 
creased by  optimism,  231 ; 
energy,  and  the  mind,  233; 
equilibrium,  235,  399;  paral- 
ysis, 236;  tension,  chronic, 
346;  rhythm  of  habit,  346; 
energy,  excitable  waste  of, 


INDEX 


563 


390;  temper,  390;  tension, 
extravagant,  393 ;  control, 
the  practice  of,  396;  shock, 
from  fright,  419;  patients 
treatment  of,  450;  cow- 
ardice, 454. 

Nervous  diseases,  effect  on 
mind,  33 ;  psychic  prevention 
of,  273;  functional  and  or- 
ganic, 292;  in  relation  to 
psychotherapy,  304;  increase 
of,  387 ;  and  suggestion,  435 ; 
caused  by  selfishness,  436. 

Nervous  mechanism,  of  the 
heart,  120;  in  blood-pres- 
sure, 140;  of  salivary  secre- 
tion, 154;  of  pancreatic  se- 
cretion, 158;  of  constipation, 
170;  of  diarrhoea,  171;  of 
breathing,  186,  196;  of 
blushing,  212;  of  habit,  338. 

Nervous  prostration,  blood- 
pressure  in,  134;  and  worry, 
362;  defined,  388;  purpose 
of,  392. 

Nervous  system,  function  of, 
xi;  the  voluntary,  xiii;  the 
sympathetic,  xiv,  513;  a 
means  of  cell  communica- 
tion, 8 ;  gateway  to  the  mind, 
41 ;  in  relation  to  mind,  72, 
229 ;  effects  of  mind  on,  229, 
273;  effects  of  emotions  on, 
229;  physiology  of,  505. 

Nervousness,  in  relation  to  the 
mind,  239 ;  a  form  of  energy 
leakage,  344 ;  and  relaxation, 
387 ;  defined,  387 ;  psychology 
of,   391 ;   a   short-circuit   of 


sensation,  391 ;  and  selfish- 
ness, 394;  not  an  actual  dis- 
ease, 397;  royal  remedy  for, 
401 ;  methods  of  treatment, 
401 ;  hygienic  management 
of,  402 ;  influenced  by  prayer, 

477- 

Neuralgia,  psychic  cure  of, 
226. 

Neurasthenia,  and  blood-pres- 
sure, 132,  134;  cured  by 
religion,  225;  by  socialism, 
225;  psychic  cause  of,  230, 
231,  232;  cured  by  a  fire, 
231 ;  caused  by  worry,  297, 
362;  in  relation  to  habit- 
sensation,  340;  causes  of, 
388;  of  the  change  of  life, 
397;  as  related  to  dreams, 
408 ;  and  complex  formation, 
410;  and  dissociation  of 
ideas,  411;  fatigue  of,  419; 
work  and  rest  cure  in,  419; 
treatment  by  reeducation, 
420;  work  and  study  cure, 
421 ;  caused  by  sleep-worry, 
448;  prayer  in,  448. 

Neurasthenic,  the,  389. 

Neuraxone,  the,  xiii. 

Neuricity,  xiii,  511. 

Neuroglia,  the,  510. 

Neuron,  anatomy  of,  xiii, 
510;  number  of,  8;  recuper- 
ated by  rest,  30. 

Neuroses,  origin  of,  447. 

New  birth  of  theology,  281 ;  a 
case  of,  479. 

New  remedies,  as  cure-alls, 
260. 


5^4 


INDEX 


New  thought,  sectarian  aspects 
of,  262;  and  mental  science, 
468. 

Nightmare,  subconscious,  412. 

Nisei's  granules,  512. 

Noises,  child's  fear  of,  277. 

Non-drug  healing,  methods  of, 
440. 

Notoriety,  itching  for,  496. 

Novels,  as  mental  diet,  497. 

Nutrition,  and  the  mental  state, 
29;  psychic  factors  in,  173, 
271 ;  of  the  cell,  173;  and  di- 
gestion, 175;  influenced  by 
the  affections,  177;  appetite 
in,  179;  of  the  skin,  214; 
nerves  of,  234;  disorders  of, 
292 ;  the  moral,  380. 

O 

Obsessions,  the  slavery  of,  341 ; 
psychic,  341 ;  the  psychology 
of,  341 ;  selfish  factors  in, 
342;  motor,  342;  counting 
and  walking,  343;  and  com- 
plex formation,  409. 

Odors,  fictitious,  242. 

Oedema,  caused  by  fear,  126; 
angioneurotic,  and  the  mind, 
127,  215. 

Old  age,  worries  of,  365;  in- 
fluenced by  mind,  123. 

Operations,  fake,  in  nervous 
disorders,  437. 

Opium,  and  brain  action,  17; 
action  modified  by  sugges- 
tion, 171,  206;  effect  on  con- 
sciousness, 445;  used  by  so- 
ciety, 499. 


Optical  illusions,  38. 

Optimism,  a  factor  in  the  faith 
life,  107;  and  vital  resist- 
ance, 143;  an  energy  con- 
servator, 223;  psychic  cap- 
ital stock,  224;  a  cure  for 
hypochondria,    227. 

Optimistic  life,  the,  93. 

Order,  a  remedy  for  nervous- 
ness, 345;   as  an   obsession, 

345- 

Orderliness,  the  craze  for,  454. 

Organic  diseases,  defined,  289; 
the  mind  in,  290;  compared 
with  functional,  291 ;  evolved 
from  functional,  295. 

Organization  of  the  mind,  444. 

Origin  of  thought,  the,  37;  of 
sensation,  psychic,  94 ;  of  the 
neuroses,  447. 

Osier,  Dr.,  on  mind  cure, 
301 ;  on  faith,  315 ;  on  worry, 
376. 

Osteopaths,  mission  of,  225. 

Osteopathy,  sectarian  role  of, 
262. 

Outdoor  living  promotes  men- 
tal health,  23. 

Overcoming  evil  with  good, 
416. 

Overeating,  lessens  mental  en- 
ergy, 27;  and  under  think- 
ing, 28. 

Overwork,  in  relation  to  the 
mind,  9 ;  reaction  of,  on  mind 
and  morals,  25. 

Oxidase,   178. 

Oxidation  in  the  cell,  178;  in- 
creased by  faith,  271. 


INDEX 


565 


Oxygen,  the  vital  fuel,  187;  in- 
take, effects  on  mind,  188. 


^  Pagan  ideas  of  healing,  79. 
Pain,  effects  on  mind,  32;  or- 
igin of,  37;  fictitious,  39,  45; 
increased  by  fear,  94;  habit- 
ual, origin  of,  95;  inhibition 
of,  276,  239 ;  psychic  element 
t  in,  238;  deceptive  cure  of, 
I  239 ;  not  wholly  psychic,  239 ; 
lessened  by  psychic  control, 
274;  mission  of,  294;  les- 
sened by  relaxation,  399; 
suggestive  treatment  of,  434; 
of  childbirth  and  suggestion, 

434- 

Pale  skin  and  the  mental  state, 
126;  psychic  causes  of,  212. 

Pallor,  mechanism  of,  212. 

Palmistry,  a  fraud,  458. 

Pancreas,  the,  157. 

Pancreatic  juice,  regulation  of 
secretion,  7;  nervous  ele- 
ment in,  236. 

Panics,  psychology  of,  283; 
suggestive,  286,  431. 

Papules,     psychic    origin    of, 

215- 
Paraesthesias,  origin  of,  95. 
Paralysis,  cured  by  suggestion, 

237. 

Parasites,  and  mind  cure,  308. 

Passion,  emotional,  447;  influ- 
enced by  prayer,  478. 

Patent  medicine  cures  103; 
deception  of,  458. 


Pathology,   in   diagnosis,   260. 

Patience,  and  the  faith  life, 
109. 

Paul,  a  good  psychologist,  285 ; 
teaching  of,  on  faith  and 
fear,  324;  on  auto-sugges- 
tion, 328;  on  mind  and  mat- 
ter, 487-489- 

Pawlow,  work  on  digestion, 
161,  162,  165 ;  dogs,  and  phy- 
siological memory,  410. 

Payot,  on  reflection  and  ac- 
tion, 452. 

Pellagra,  and  mental  diseases, 

31- 
Pepsin,  action  of,  167. 
Perception,  defined,  40,  52.  # 

Percepts,  as  mental  food,  39; 

defined,  52. 
Periodic     swelling,     and     the 

mind,  127. 
Periodicity,  in  nervous  rhythm, 

346. 
Peristalsis,    and    the     mental 

state,  170. 
Pernicious   anaemia,    and   the 

psychic  state,  144. 
Personal     magnetism,     really 

suggestion,  430. 
Personality,    how    maintained, 

15;  relation  of,  to  the  brain 

and  mind,   16;   designed  by 

mind,  17;  modified  by  habit, 

18;  multiple,  theory  of,  411; 

deformed    by    society,   498; 

multiple,  a  case  of,  524. 
Perspiration,  psychic  influence 

on,  213. 
Perverted  prayer,  482.  \ 


566 


INDEX 


Pessimism,  a  factor  in  the  fear 

life,  107. 
Pessimist,    a    social    barnacle, 

224. 
Phagocytosis,    and    the    mind, 

145- 
Phantasy,  defined,  42,  53;  ac- 
tion of   faith   and   fear   on, 

96. 

Phases  of  consciousness,  64. 

"Phobias,"  special,  359. 

Phosphates  of  urine,  influ- 
enced by  mental  state,  240. 

Phototherapy,  in  connection 
with  psychotherapy,  263. 

Phrenic  nerves,  depressed  by 
fear,  196. 

Phrenology  and  healing,  103; 
scientific  status  of,  459. 

Physical  basis  of  thought,  xv, 
37»  39;  endurance  and  res- 
piration, 24 ;  development 
and  mental  vigor,  25 ;  senses, 
inaccuracies  of,  38;  origin 
of  emotions,  41 ;  conscious- 
ness, the,  71,  y2;  carriage, 
the,  200;  causes  of  worry, 
364,  366;  health,  and  worry, 
382 ;  reaction  to  anger,  391 ; 
functions,  influenced  by 
prayer,  478;  remedies,  in  re- 
lation to  prayer,  483 ;  eman- 
cipation, 495. 

Physical  diseases,  and  the 
mind,  21 ;  and  brain  disor- 
ders, 31. 

Physical  righteousness  and 
spirituality,  490. 

Physical  therapy,  and  the  doc- 


tor, 258;  in  connection  with 
psychotherapy,  263. 

Physicians,  neglect  of  psycho- 
therapy, 251,  313;  highest 
work  of,  258;  -priests,  an- 
cient, 311;  cooperation  with 
ministers,  314;  relation  to 
psychotherapy,  315;  respon- 
sibility for  the  healing  cults, 
441. 

Physiologic  section,  the,  iii; 
therapeutics,  progress  of, 
258. 

Physiological  unity  of  man,  6; 
coordination,  7 ;  memory, 
theory  of,  416;  fatigue, 
theory  of,  418;  reaction,  of 
emotion,  446. 

Physiologist's,  view  of  man,  10. 

Physiology,  of  sympathetic 
nervous  system,  xiv;  of 
habit,  338 ;  of  anger,  391 ;  of 
prayer,  477;  of  brain  and 
nervous  system,  505. 

Pituitary  body,  influence  of  se- 
cretion, 32;  the,  184. 

Placebos,  a  form  of  suggestion, 
103. 

Plague,  fear  element  in,  270; 
the  psychology  of,  296. 

Planes   of   consciousness,   the, 

69. 

Plants,  feeling  of,  71. 

Play,  spirit  of,  lessens  fatigue, 
200. 

Plethysmographic  cure,  the, 
196. 

Poisoning,  in  relation  to  psy- 
chotherapy, 307. 


INDEX 


Sfi7 


i 


Poisons,  acid,  as  a  cause  of 
sleep,  XV ;  metabolic,  and 
the  mental  state,  27 ;  psychic, 
blood,  145 ;  emotional,  146. 

Pons  varoli,  the,  506. 

"Poor  circulation,"  psychic 
causes  of,  210. 

Portal  congestion  and  the 
"  blues,"  24. 

Positive  thinking,  auto-sugges- 
tion, 372. 

Poverty,  in  relation  to  worry, 

367. 

Power  of  mind  over  matter, 
4;  of  memory,  45. 

Practice  of  nervous  control, 
the,  396. 

Prayer,  healing,  rise  of,  83 ;  as 
a  healing  influence,  loi ;  in 
faith  healing,  107;  cure  for 
despondency,  181 ;  cure  for 
nervous  disorders,  233;  in 
paralysis,  237;  as  a  worry 
cure,  380;  psychology  of, 
476;  the  master  mind  cure, 
476,  484;  mental  factor  in, 
476;  moral  element  in,  477; 
strengthens  the  will,  477; 
spiritual  factor  in,  477 ;  phy- 
siology of,  477;  effects  on 
blood-pressure,  477 ;  ther- 
apeutics of,  478;  transforms 
the  character,  479 ;  cure,  the, 
480;  method  of  prescribing, 
481 ;  prostitution  of,  481 ; 
relaxation  of,  483;  inspira- 
tion of,  483;  and  physical 
remedies,  483;  a  psychic 
safety-valve,  484. 


Preachers,  neglect  of  mental 
medicine,  313. 

Prejudice,  working  of,  496. 

Prenatal  influences,  psychic 
elements  of,  277. 

Prevention  of  disease,  258. 

Priests,  ancient  physician,  311. 

Prince,  Dr.,  on  multiple  per- 
sonality, 524. 

Principles    of    psychotherapy, 

405. 

Process  of  heat  regulation, 
216. 

Prolapsus,  visceral,  and  the 
mental  state,  207. 

Prophets,  professed,  origin  of, 
461. 

Prophylaxis,  the  doctor's  great 
work,  258. 

Prostitution  of  prayer,  481. 

Protein  diet,  high,  effects  on 
mind,  29. 

Proverbs,  perverted,  a  cause  of 
worry,  355. 

Providence  in  relation  to  dis- 
ease, 84,  323. 

Psalmist,  the,  on  fear,  323. 

Psychasthenic,  the,  389. 

Psychic,  influence  over  gastric 
secretion,  9;  origin  of  sen- 
sation, 94;  response  of  the 
heart,  119;  modification  of 
blood-pressure,  131,  138; 
state,  as  influenced  by  relig- 
ion, 140;  blood  poisons,  145; 
influence  on  antitoxins,  147; 
over  secretions,  153;  dys- 
pepsia, 163;  "juice,"  the, 
165,  270;   factor,   in  nutri- 


568 


INDEX 


Psychic  —  continued 
tion,  173;  fads  and  dyspep- 
sia, 176 ;  control  of  appetite, 
179;  coughing,  191;  control 
of  muscles,  198;  fatigue, 
201 ;  control  of  electric  re- 
actions, 214;  state,  effects 
on  brain,  220;  cure  of  par- 
alytics, 237;  disorders,  neg- 
lect of,  255;  cults,  mission 
of,  256;  therapy,  in  relation 
to  physicians,  258;  teaching, 
the  new,  260 ;  prisoners,  261 ; 
powers,  limitations  of,  267; 
element,  in  the  circulation, 
268;  influence  on  sensation, 
274 ;  element  in  heredity  and 
environment,  276;  factor  in 
intemperance,  281 ;  disor- 
ders, evolution  into  physical, 
295;  element  in  disease, 
300 ;  obsessions,  341 ;  decep- 
tions, 381 ;  shocks,  and  in- 
sanity, 408 ;  insurrection, 
412,  413;  fatigue,  theory  of, 
418 ;  influence  of  music,  422 ; 
desperadoes,  447;  fads  and 
fakes,  467;  difficulties  and 
prayer,  480;  element  in 
moral  victory,  490;  slavery 
of  conventionality,  496. 

Psycho-analysis,  or  mental  di- 
agnosis,  414;  method  of  ap- 
plying, 415,  416;  in  relation 
to  reeducation,  448. 

Psychologic  section,  the,  3. 

Psychologist's,  view  of  man, 
10. 

Psychology,  how  we  think,  35 ; 


modern,  35;  new  and  old, 
36;  diagram  of,  52;  defined, 
55;  of  faith  and  fear,  92; 
evolution  of,  255;  basis  of, 
261 ;  of  child-culture,  276 ;  of 
the  family  life,  282;  of  bus- 
iness, 283;  of  panics,  283; 
of  the  crowd,  286;  of  dis- 
ease, the,  289;  of  epidemics, 
296;  of  health  literature, 
296;  of  fatigue,  297;  of 
love  and  hate,  298;  of  habit, 
338,  339;  of  worry,  350;  of 
animal  tricks,  350;  of  emo- 
tion, 414;  of  suggestion, 
428;  of  shell-hearing  and 
crystal-gazing,  460 ;  of  auto- 
matic writing  and  talking, 
462;  of  telepathy,  463;  of 
hypnotism,  470;  of  Christ- 
ian Science,  471 ;  of  prayer, 
476. 

Psycho-neuroses,  415. 

Psychopath,  the,  mission  of, 
256. 

Psycho-pathological  fatigue, 
theory  of,  418. 

Psycho-prophylaxis,  or  mental 
hygiene,  266. 

Psychotherapy,  retarded  by 
superstition,  5 ;  fanatical 
transition  stage,  256;  dawn 
of,  260;  laboratory  basis  of, 
261 ;  prostituted  by  theology, 
262;  and  hygiene,  262;  not 
an  exclusive  system,  262;  in 
functional  diseases,  290;  in 
various  disorders,  302;  in 
heart  disorders,  302 ;  in  cir- 


INDEX 


569 


culatory  disorders,  302;  in 
digestive  disturbances,  303; 
in  mental  and  nervous  dis- 
eases, 304;  in  respiratory 
disorders,  305;  in  metabolic 
disorders,  305;  in  miscellan- 
^  eous  diseases,  305;  in  con- 
tagious and  infectious  dis- 
eases, 306;  in  accidents  and 
poisoning,  307;  in  intoxica- 
tions, 307;  and  parasites, 
308;  of  the  ancient  priests, 
312;  the  Bible  on,  321 ;  prin- 
ciples of,  405;  defined,  405; 
the  field  of,  406;  in  relation 
to  prayer,  477;  Christianity, 
the  highest,  484. 

Pulse,  intermittent,  and  fear, 
115;  the,  129;  tracings  of 
faith  and  fear,  129. 

Pure  air  and  the  intellect,  22; 
food  and  pure  thoughts,  27. 


Quack    doctors    and    healing, 

103. 
Quackery,  psychic  element  in, 

458. 
Quick  lunch  dyspepsia,  163. 
Quinine,  in  malaria,  259,  267. 


R 


Rabies,  false,  227. 
Rationalisms,    reaction    from, 

257-  ^ 
"Reaction  method"  in  mental 
diagnosis,  530. 


Reason,  and  judgment,  49;  de- 
fined, 49,  54;  inaccuracies 
of,  50;  attorney  general  of 
the  mind,  57;  voice  of,  65, 
70;  and  consciousnes,  74;  in 
relation  to  faith  and  fear, 
98;  and  sophistry,  473. 

Reckoning,  the  gospel  of,  488. 

Recollection,  doorkeeper  of 
memory,  46,  53. 

Recreation  and  the  mind,  30; 
psychic  value  of,  383. 

Red  blood  corpuscles  and  the 
mind,  143. 

Reeducation,  of  brain  centres, 
17;  and  habit,  338;  of  the 
will,  in  nervousness,  401 ; 
and  suggestion,  417;  the  goal 
of  psychotherapy,  418;  by 
direct  conversation,  419 ;  of 
the  will,  443;  defined,  444; 
Dr.  Barker  on,  445 ;  methods 
of,  448;  range,  450;  in  re- 
lation to  hypnotism  and  sug- 
gestion, 451 ;  system  in,  453. 

Reflection,  a  part  of  concep- 
tion, 44,  53;  and  action,  45. 

Reflex     action,     defined,     xii, 

508. 

Reflexes,  the  nervous,  xii; 
automatic,  xii,  509;  natural, 
xiii,  509;  spinal,  xiii,  509. 

Reform,  obsession  of,  342. 

Relative  anaemias,  145. 

Relaxation,  muscular,  202;  a 
cure  for  chorea,  230;  and 
nervousness,  387;  gospel  of, 
397;  in  bed,  398;  insomnia 
remedy,   398;   versus   resis- 


570 


INDEX 


Relaxation  —  continued 
tance,     399;     a     factor    in 
prayer,  483. 

Relics,  a  health  delusion,  82; 
worship  of,  lOO;  psychic 
frauds,  457. 

Religion,  a  mind  cure,  44;  a 
natural  instinct,  61 ;  in  rela- 
tion to  faith,  100;  and  blood- 
pressure,  137,  139;  a  dys- 
pepsia cure,  176;  effects  on 
healing,  176;  cure  for  des- 
pondency, 181;  a  cure  for 
neurasthenia,  225 ;  Christian, 
and  mind  cure,  284;  psycho- 
therapeutic value  of,  315, 
383;  as  a  drink  cure,  319; 
in  relation  to  worry,  362, 
380 ;  "  going  crazy  over," 
365 ;  the,  of  fear,  401 ;  the, 
of  love,  401 ;  Christian,  the 
highest  psychotherapy,  484; 
as  influenced  by  health, 
490;  value  of,  501. 

Religious,  worry  and  blood- 
pressure,  135 ;  emotion, 
power  of,  204,  414,  422 ;  life, 
the,  316;  suggestions,  power 
of,  317;  fanaticism  and 
worry,  363 ;  conversions, 
417;  revivals,  suggestion  in, 
430;  movements,  built  on 
trances,  461 ;  worry,  485. 

Remorse,  and  the  fear  life,  109. 

Reptiles,  overcoming  fear  of, 

.    374- 

Resistance,  vital,  and  the  mind, 

147;   muscular,   replaced  by 

relaxation,  399. 


Respiration,  effects  on  mind 
and  body,  24;  influence  on 
oxidation,  178;  psychic  in- 
fluences on,  186;  centres  of, 
196. 

Respiratory,  poisons,  effects 
of,  23;  curve,  the,  195;  dis- 
orders, functional  and  or- 
ganic, 292;  in  relation  to 
psychotherapy,   305. 

Responsibility,  a  cause  of 
worry,  353. 

Rest,  in  relation  to  mind,  30; 
essential  to  mind,  31 ;  cure, 
the,  in  chronic  fatigue,  419. 

Resurrection,  the  spiritual, 
489. 

Retention,  a  power  of  memory, 

46,  53- 
Revivals,  suggestion  in,  430. 
Rhythm,    nervous,    of    habit, 

346. 
Richardson,  Dr.,  on  diabetes, 

159- 

Riches,  false  source  of  happi- 
ness, 352;  delusion  of,  498. 

Rickets,  influence  on  mind,  32. 

Ridicule,  in  the  cure  of  worry, 

374- 
Right-handedness,      and      the 

brain,  16. 
Righteousness,     physical     and 

spiritual,   490. 
Rush,  useless,  395. 


Sabbath  rest,  psychic  value  of, 
31- 


INDEX 


571 


Saints,   the,  as  healers,  82. 

Saliva,  modified  by  mental 
state,  154,  155;  secretory 
mechanism  of,  154;  a  meta- 
bolic factor,  155;  digestive 
powers  of,  156;  memory  se- 
cretion of,  410. 

Salivary  secretion  and  the 
mind,  154;  flow,  retarded  by 
fear,  156. 

Sample   Stomach  of   Pawlow, 

165. 

Sanitation,  in  relation  to  psy- 
chotherapy, 264. 

Schiller,  on  psycho-prophy- 
laxis, 269;  obsession  of,  285. 

Schools  of  medicine,  sugges- 
tion in,  430. 

Schopenhauer,  shaving  obses- 
sion of,  285. 

Science  of  suggestion,  the, 
427. 

Scientific    healing,    dawn    of, 

253. 
Scope  of  modern  therapeutics, 

251. 

Scrofula  and  the  king's  touch, 
87. 

"  Secretin,"  7;  role  of,  158. 

Secretions,  as  chemical  mes- 
sengers, 7;  modified  by  fear, 
146;  mental  factor  in,  153, 
270;  in  general,  153;  effects 
of  music  on,  167. 

Secretory  glands  and  the  mind, 
153 ;  disturbances,  functional 
and  organic,  291 ;  in  relation 
to  psychotherapy,  303;  phy- 


siological memory  of,  glands, 
410. 

Sedentary  life,  the,  and  des- 
pondency, 22. 

Self -consciousness,  a  cause  of 
worry,  358. 

Self-control,  need  of,  345,  373 ; 
a  remedy  for  nervousness, 
401 ;  and  the  emotions,  447 ; 
and  the  health,  497. 

Selfishness,  duty  to  combat, 
378;  and  false  sympathy, 
394;  a  cause  of  nervous  dis- 
orders, 436. 

Self-mastery,  452. 

Self-mutilation,  413. 

Sensations,  of  sight,  37;  of 
hearing,  37;  of  taste,  37;  of 
pain,  origin,  37,  239 ;  defined, 
37,  52;  inaccuracies  of,  38; 
fictitious,  39,  94,  406;  route 
through  the  mind,  42;  mod- 
ified by  faith  and  fear,  93, 
216;  psychic  origin  of,  94, 
246;  referred  to  the  heart, 
120;  psychic  deception  of, 
125 ;  muscular,  206 ;  skin,  and 
the  mind,  215;  of  heat  and 
cold,  216;  experiments  re- 
specting, 246 ;  in  habit  form- 
ation, 340 ;  a  factor  in  worry, 
358;  necessity  for  discount- 
ing, 375;  double  origin  of, 
432. 

Sense  of  smell,  how  stimulated, 
37 ;  impressions,  necessity 
for  checking  up,  38. 

Sensitiveness,  a  cause  of 
worry,  353. 


572 


INDEX 


Sensory      impressions,      how 

transmitted,  xiii. 
Sexual    glands,    secretion    of, 

32. 
Shakespear,   on   man's  mental 

vision,  350. 
Shallow  breathing,  and  shallow 

thinking,  24,  186. 
"  Sham   feeding  "  of  Pawlow, 

165. 

Shell-hearing,  psychology  of, 
460. 

Shrines,  and  healing,  83 ;  wor- 
ship,   102;    psychic    frauds, 

457- 
Sickness,    influenced    by    the 
mind,  21;  in  general,  150;  a 
result  of  sin,  318;  the  Bible 
on,  321 ;  in  relation  to  worry, 

364- 

Sighing,  from  mentat  depres- 
sion, 194. 

Sight,  how  aroused,  37;  inac- 
curacies of,  38;  psychic  ele- 
ment in,  244 ;  deceptive  stim- 
ulation of,  407;  function  of, 

515. 

Significance  of  high  blood- 
pressure,  132. 

Simple  life,  the,  for  the  mind, 
495;  for  the  body,  495;  for 
the  community,  497;  for  the 
home,  499;  for  the  soul,  500. 

Simplicity,  the  joy  of  life,  496. 

Sin,  as  a  cause  of  sickness, 
318;  a  happiness  destroyer, 

318. 

Size  of  brain  in  relation  to  in- 
tellect. 18. 


Skin,  inactivity,  and  depres- 
sion, 9 ;  action,  and  the  mind, 
30,  211;  circulation  and 
worry,  124;  reaction,  124; 
influence  of  mind  on,  209; 
area  of,  209;  circulation, 
210,  211;  nutrition  of,  214; 
sensation  and  eruptions,  215. 

Slavery  of  obsessions,  34;  psy- 
chic, 496. 

Sleep,  how  caused,  xv;  and 
digestion,  26;  and  stomach 
motility,  27;  in  relation  to 
consciousness,  74 ;  walkers, 
207 ;  antidote  for  work,  223 ; 
relaxation  during,  398;  re- 
lation to  dissociation,  412; 
and  suggestion,  438;  false 
notions  of  necessity,  448; 
relation  to  hearing,  516. 

Sleepiness,  theory  of,  xv; 
from  deficient  elimination,  9. 

Sleeping  rooms,  ventilation  of, 

23- 

Sleeplessness,  from  autointox- 
ication, 29;  cured  by  indif- 
ference concerning,  378. 

Slow  digestion,  167. 

Slums,  relation  of  physical  and 
moral  conditions,  22. 

Smell,  in  relation  to  digestion. 
9;  arousal  of,  37;  psychic 
element  in,  242 ;  experiment- 
al tests  of,  243;  suggestive 
experiments  on,  438;  sense 
of,  516. 

Smelling,  sense  of,  516. 

Snakes,   overcoming   fear   of, 

374. 


INDEX 


573 


Sneezing,  and  the  psychic  state, 

193- 

Social  life,  early,  and  sug- 
gestion, 279 ;  cause  of  worry, 
366;  emancipation,  497. 

Socialism,  as  a  neurasthenic 
cure,  225. 

Society,  effects  on  health,  497 ; 
in  relation  to  narcotics,  499. 

Socrates,  fits  of,  284. 

Soil  of  disease,  the,  149. 

Solar  plexus,  the,  xiv,  513. 

Solomon,   on    faith    and   fear, 

325- 

Sorrow,  effects  on  nutrition, 
174,  175;  a  cause  of  infirm- 
ity, 360. 

Soul,  the,  40;  unconsciousness 
of,  when  all  is  well,  486; 
simple  life  for,  500. 

Sound,  recognition  of,  65 ;  il- 
lustration of  psychic  opera- 
tions, 65;  fictitious,  244. 

Sovereign  will,  the,  56. 

Spasms,  ancient  cures  for,  87; 
muscular,  202. 

Special  senses,  influence  of 
mind  on,  241 ;  and  sugges- 
tion, 438;  functions  of,  514. 

Speech,  not  originated  by 
brain,  16;  and  work  mem- 
ory centres,  16;  centres,  ac- 
cidents to,  17;  psychic  ele- 
ment in,  247,  274. 

Spinal  nerves,  xii;  ganglion, 
xii,  507;  cord,  anatomy  of, 
xii,  507;  reflexes,  xiii. 

Spirit,  the,  defined,  55 ;  of  fear, 
the,  332;  of  infirmity,  360; 


the  universal,  and  telepathy, 

465. 

Spiritistic  deluge,  the,  256. 

Spiritual  factor  in  mind,  61 ; 
mind,  the,  64,  69 ;  conscious- 
ness, 70,  72;  therapeutics, 
and  physicians,  258;  causes 
of  worry,  362 ;  nutrition,  and 
worry,  380 ;  factor  in  prayer, 
477;  grief,  485;  nature,  war 
with  the  carnal,  487;  resur- 
rection, the,  489;  living,  and 
physical    righteousness,  490. 

Spiritualism,  and  healing,  103 ; 
genuine  and  false,  466; 
scientific  view  of,  467;  a 
theological  proposition,  467; 
Biblical  view  of,  467. 

Steps,   obsession   of   counting, 

344. 
Stimulants,    periodic    use    of, 

347- 
Stomach,  and  the  psychic  state, 
9;  action,  and  brain  action, 
compared,  16;  influence  upon 
mind,  26;  action,  and  sleep, 
27;  effects  of  mind  on,  162, 
166;  muscular  movements 
of,  166,  205;  disorders,  in 
relation     to    psychotherapy, 

303- 
"  Stomach-ache   in  the   head," 

26;  ancient  cures  for,  80. 
"Stoop     shoulders,"     and    the 

mental  state,   189,  190,  201. 
Storms,   unreasoning   fear  of, 

395- 
Strain,  needless,  395. 


574 


INDEX 


Strength,  decreased  by  fear, 
199 ;  and  suggestion,  432 ;  de- 
pendent on  nerve  impres- 
sions, 433. 

Strength  test,  modified  by  the 
mental  state,  199. 

Study  cure,  the,  in  nervous  dis- 
orders, 421. 

St.  Benedict,  as  a  surgeon,  82 ; 
Martin,  a  reputed  healer,  82. 

St.  Vitus's  dance,  and  the  men- 
tal state,  230. 

Subconscious  mind,  the,  66) 
defined,  6^;  compared  with 
the  conscious,  74 ;  and  latent 
ideas,  416;  tyranny  of,  428; 
a  creature  of  suggestion, 
429;  unused  energy  of,  432; 
effect  of  drugs  on,  455;  in 
trances  and  catalepsy,  461 ; 
and  mediums,  466;  memory, 
a  case  of,  523. 

Subconscious   nightmare,   412. 

Substitute  cure,  the,  for  worry, 

373- 

Sugar,  pills,  power  to  cure, 
104;  in  urine,  increased  by 
fear,  157;  variation  of,  in 
diabetes,  179. 

Suggestion,  in  relation  to  con- 
sciousness, 75;  in  diabetes, 
158;  effects  on  mammary 
secretion,  159;  in  dyspepsia, 
164;  in  constipation,  171; 
and  sneezing,  193;  and 
yawning,  194;  in  asthma  and 
hay-fever,  194;  and  valvan- 
ometer  experiments,  201 ;  in 
skin  disorders,  215;  in  ner- 


vous disorders,  233,  435;  in 
paralysis,  237 ;  in  the  cure  of 
pain,  239,  434;  in  relation  to 
vision,  245;  in  early  social 
life,  279;  in  habit  formation, 
280;  in  the  family  life,  282 
intensified  by  numbers,  286 
and  health  literature,  296 
religious,  power  of,  317;  the 
Bible  on,  327 ;  in  the  case  of 
Job,  330;  a  cause  of  disease, 
365;  in  medical  books,  366; 
in  the  treatment  of  worry, 
371 ;  true  and  false,  372 ;  at 
retiring  time,  378;  fatigue, 
392;  and  the  menopause, 
397;  in  hysteria,  412;  a  fac- 
tor in  physical  remedies, 
418;  in  the  healing  cults, 
418;  and  patent  medicines, 
418,  458;  in  the  cure  of  ficti- 
tious fatigue,  419;  the 
science  of,  427;  direct  and 
indirect,  427;  in  children, 
427 ;  and  faith,  427 ;  psychol- 
ogy of,  428;  in  relation  to 
death,  428 ;  and  the  marginal 
.  consciousness,  429 ;  by  direct 
challenge,  429;  idea-associa- 
tion by,  429 ;  the  universality 
of,  429;  best  made  in  the 
working  state,  429;  hypnot- 
ism unnecessary  to,  430;  in 
the  child's  bumps,  430;  in 
professional  life,  430;  in  re- 
vivals, 430;  and  personal 
magnetism,  430;  should  be 
physiological  and  psycho- 
logical,   430;     in     different 


INDEX 


575 


schools  of  healing,  430;  a 
mental  contagion,  431 ;  in 
electric  belts,  431 ;  in  sleep- 
ing children,  432;  the  path 
to  new  energy,  432;  in  re- 
lation to  health,  432;  and 
the  temperature  sense,  433; 
in  headache,  434;  a  factor 
in  medicines,  435  ;  and  sleep, 
438;  and  the  special  senses, 
438;  in  obscure  diseases, 
439;  in  relation  to  reeduca- 
tion, 451 ;  in  charms  and  rel- 
ics, 457;  in  quackery,  458; 
in  astrology  and  palmistry, 
458;  in  phrenology,  459;  in 
clairvoyance  and  fortune- 
telling,  459;  in  telepathy, 
463;  in  magnetic  healing, 
465;  and  spiritualistic  me- 
diums, 466;  in  so-called  Di- 
vine healing,  467;  a  factor 
in  prayer,  477;  adverse,  in 
prayer,  482. 

Suggestion,  auto,  hygienic 
value,  301. 

Suggestive  therapeutics,  theory 
of,  68,  102,  103;  imagina- 
tions and  dreams,  408;  re- 
education, 417;  panic,  431. 

Suicide,  mental,  how  pre- 
vented, 12. 

Summary  of  faith  and  fear,  on 
the  heart,  121 ;  on  the  circu- 
lation, 129;  on  blood-pres- 
sure, 142 ;  on  vital  resistance, 
151;  on  secretion,  160;  on 
digestion,  171 ;  on  metabol- 
ism, 185;  on  breathing,  197; 


on  muscles,  207 ;  on  skin  and 
heat  regulation,  218;  on  the 
brain,  228;  on  the  nervous 
system,  240;  on  the  special 
senses,  248;  on  the  whole 
man,  249;  Biblical,  335. 

Sunlight,  and  the  mind,  22. 

Sunstroke,  psychic  element  in, 
227. 

Supernatural  elements  of  faith, 
140. 

Superstition,  and  ancient  er- 
rors, 5;  regarding  diseases, 
35;  as  related  to  health,  78; 
examples  of  ancient  medical, 
80;  and  insanity,  88;  med- 
ical, 88,  90. 

Supra  consciousness,  or  the 
spiritual  mind,  64,  65;  an- 
alysis of,  72. 

Suprarenal  gland,  secretion  of, 
32;  bodies,  the,  183. 

Supremacy  of  mind,  the,  10. 

Supreme,  court  of  the  mind, 
56;  Being,  faith  in,  a  worry 
cure,  371,  381. 

Surgical  operations  and  the 
mental  state,  149;  diseases, 
and  mind  cure,  308. 

Suspicion  and  the  fear  life, 
108. 

Sweat,  altered  by  the  mind, 
154;  glands,  213. 

Sweating,  psychic  influence  on, 
213. 

"  Swellings,"  caused  by  fear, 
126. 

Sympathetic  nervous  system, 
the,  xiv,  513;   functions  of. 


576 


INDEX 


Sympathetic  —  continued 
xiv,    513;    nature's    safety- 
brake,  12;  and  fatigue,  59; 
in  relation  to  the  mind,  y2', 
and  heart  control,  120. 

"  Sympathetic   power  "    cures, 

87 

Sympathy,    false,   and   selfish- 
ness, 394. 
Syphilis   and  brain   disorders, 

31- 
System    and    order,    345;    in 
thought  and  work,  453. 


Talent,  in  relation  to  con- 
sciousness, 75. 

Talking,  automatic,  psychology 
of,  462, 

Taste,  in  relation  to  stomach 
secretion,  9;  sense  of,  how 
aroused,  37;  metabolic  regu- 
lator, 156;  buds,  and  diges- 
tion, 156;  psychic  factors  in, 
241 ;  sense  of,  516. 

Tea,  effects  on  nerves,  28 ;  and 
capillary   contraction,    123. 

Tear  gland  and  the  emotions, 

154. 

Telegraph,  an  illustration  of 
mental  operations,  16. 

Telepathy,  and  healing,  102; 
theory  of,  463;  the  physics 
of,  463;  compared  to  gravi- 
tation, 464. 

Temper,  as  influenced  by  fogs, 
22;   effect  on   bowels,   170; 


the  Bible  on,  326;  nervous, 

390- 

Temperament,  in  relation  to 
exercise,  25;  effected  by 
faith  and  fear,  99;  peculiar- 
ities of,  worry  over,  352. 

Temperamental  shortcomings, 
283. 

Temperature,  and  atmospheric 
purity,  23;  sense,  deception 
of,  125;  local,  influenced  by 
mental  concentration,  126; 
sense,  the,  216;  modified  by 
will  power,  218;  influenced 
by  suggestion,  433. 

Temple  sleep,  81 ;  and  healing, 

lOI. 

Temptation,  defined,  54,  61. 
Tension,      chronic,      nervous, 
346 ;    extravagant,    nervous, 

393. 

Theatre-going  and  nervous 
disorders,  421. 

Theological  prostitution  of 
psychotherapy,  262, 

Theology,  separation  from 
therapeutics,  312;  differen- 
tiated from  Christianity,  317. 

Therapeutics,  suggestive, 
theory  of,  68;  section,  251; 
evolution  of,  254;  fads  in, 
mission  of,  255;  scope  of, 
257 ;  physiologic,  progress 
of,  258;  divorcement  from 
theology,  312;  moral,  422; 
music  in,  422;  of  prayer, 
478. 

Thermal  sense,  experiments 
on,  247. 


INDEX 


S77 


Thermo-electric  body  tempera- 
ture, 217;  -therapy,  in  con- 
nection with  psychotherapy, 
263. 

Thinking,  the  process  of,  xv; 
compared  to  digestion,  4 ;  as 
related  to  the  brain,  17;  in 
relation  to  eating,  26,  27; 
inaccuracies  of,  38;  in- 
creased on  retiring,  398. 

Thirst,  significance  of,  19. 

"  Thorns  in  the  flesh,"  mission 
of,   284. 

Thought,  physical  basis  of, 
XV,  37,  39;  not  secreted  by 
the  brain,  16;  dominated  by 
the  will,  18 ;  crowning  act  of, 
50;  the  mechanism  of,  340; 
weak  habits  of,  401 ;  system 

in,  453- 

Thoughts,  responsibility  for, 
57;  relation  to  conscious- 
ness, 68;  replace  diseased 
with   healthy,   377. 

Three-fold,  consciousness,  the, 
69;  nature  of  man,  71. 

Throat,  fear-paralysis  of,  206. 

Thymis    gland,    secretion    of, 

32. 

Thyroid  gland,  secretion,  32; 
the,  183. 

Timidity,  a  cause  of  worry, 
352. 

Tobacco  and  blood-pressure, 
29;  and  capillary  contrac- 
tion, 123;  effects  on  smell, 
516. 

Tolstoi,  effects  at  flying,  285; 
on  faith,  315. 


Tongue,     coated,     causes     of, 

156. 

Tongues,  the  gift  of,  463. 
Toothache,   ancient    cure    for, 

87;  psychic  cure  of,  226. 
Torpid  liver  and  brain  action, 

27- 

Touch,  sense  of,  516. 

Townshend,  Col.,  and  heart 
control,  118. 

Toxins,  8;  effects  on  mental 
action,  29;  in  constipation, 
123;  effect  on  white  blood- 
cells,  144;  a  cause  of  ner- 
vousness, 388. 

Train  riding,  without  resist- 
ance, 400. 

Trances,  physiology  and  psy^ 
chology  of,  461. 

Treatment,  modern,  of  disease, 
258;  of  worry,  the  physical, 
383 ;  of  nervousness,  401 ;  of 
fatigue  states,  418. 

Trifles,  magnification  of,  354. 

Trophic  nerves,  the,  234. 

Trouble,  imaginary,  367;  pass- 
ing nature  of,  376;  practice 
of  sleeping  over,  380;  really 
non-existent,  401. 

Tuberculosis  and  chest  devel- 
opment, 189. 

Tumors,  ancient  cures  of,  87. 

Typhoid  fever  and  brain  dis- 
orders, 31. 

Tyranny  of  habit,  the,  340. 

U 

Ulcers,  caused  by  suggestion, 
235- 


578 


INDEX 


Unconscious  mind,  the  (see 
marginal    consciousness,). 

Unity  of  the  individual,  6. 

Universal  intelligence  and  tel- 
epathy, 464. 

Universality  of  suggestion, 
429. 

Unreal  sensations  and  disease, 

45. 

Unselfishness,  a  cure  for 
worry,  378. 

Urine,  altered  by  the  mental 
state,  154,  159;  in  diabetes, 
modified  by  mind,  157;  se- 
cretion influenced  by  mental 
action,  159. 


Vacation,  essential  to  good 
work,  31 ;  good  effects  of,  on 
digestion,  163 ;  improves  me- 
tabolism, 180 ;  value  of,  380 ; 
a  necessity  when  dreaming 
of  your  work,  497. 

Vacillation,  and  the  fear  life, 
109. 

Vagus  nerves  and  pancreatic 
secretion,  159. 

Varicose  veins  and  suggestion, 
128. 

Vasoconstrictor  nerves,  func- 
tion of,  125,  212. 

Vasodilator  nerves,  action  of, 
212. 

Ventilation,  influence  on  mind 
and  body,  22;  of  school- 
rooms, 23. 

Vibrotherapy  in  connection 
with  psychotherapy,  263. 


Vice,  a  cause  of  sickness,  318. 

Victory,  effects  on  health,  150;      ^ 
spiritual,  psychic  element  in, 
490. 

Visceral  circulation  and  the 
emotions,  41 ;  displacements 
and  the  mental  state,  207. 

Vision,  errors  of,  38 ;  an  illus- 
tration of  psychic  opera- 
tions, 66;  functions  of,  515. 

Visions,  the  psychology  of, 
461. 

Vital  messengers,  the,  9 ;  work, 
and  the  will,  60;  energy, 
150;  resistance  and  the  mind, 
143,  147,  269;  energies,  con- 
served by  faith,  223;  seep- 
age, 344- 

Voice,  of  conscience,  the,  69; 
of  reason,  the,  70. 

Voluntary  nervous  system,  the, 
xiii;  in  relation  to  mind, 
72. 

Vomiting  centres  and  the 
mind,  169. 

W 

Wagner,  considered  insane, 
285. 

Warts,  ancient  cures  for,  80; 
in  relation  to  mind  cure,  215. 

Water,  drinking  and  the  men- 
tal state,  29;  30;  in  the 
treatment  of  disease,  255. 

Watermelons,  superstition  re- 
garding, 168. 

Weapon  ointment  cure,  87. 

Weariness  and  the  mental 
state,  204. 


INDEX 


^^ 


Weather,  effects  on  mind  and 
morals,  22;  worry  regarding, 

S       353- 

Weight,  bodily,  and  the  mind, 

180. 
Wetting  the  bed,  and  sugges- 
tion, 160. 
White  blood  cells,  the,  144. 
Whooping  cough  and  fear,  193. 
Wild  oats,  mental  harvest  of, 

33. 

Will,  the,  dominates  the  intel- 
lect, 18,  67;  defined,  55,  57, 
y6',  sovereign,  56;  sensory 
motor,  56;  idea-motor,  56; 
spontaneous  impulse,  56;  de- 
liberate, 56;  functions  of, 
57;  and  the  mind,  57;  and 
personality,  57;  ranking  of- 
ficer of  intellect,  58 ;  and  the 
body,  59 ;  and  vital  work,  60 ; 
a  psychic  stimulant,  267;  in 
character  development,  280; 
reeducation  of,  in  nervous- 
ness, 401 ;  reeducation,  the 
goal  of  psychotherapy,  418; 
reeducation  of,  443;  over- 
ridden by  strong  emotions, 
446;  in  relation  to  prayer, 
477;  method  of  reeducation, 
449. 

Will  power,  and  thinking,  18; 
forms  of,  56;  and  self  con- 
trol, 57;  in  the  cure  of  in- 
validism, 204. 
>  Witchcraft,  6,  317;  ancient 
cure  for,  80;  and  telepathy, 
463- 

Women,    nervous    and    excit- 


able, 390;  nervous  tension 
of,  393;  as  professional  in- 
valids, 394;  talking  propens- 
ity of,  396;  and  insanity, 
397;  and  the  use  of  narcot- 
ics, 499. 

Word-memory  centres,  16; 
how  arranged,  18. 

Words,  not  created  by  brain, 
16;  not  essential  to  expres- 
sion, 41. 

Work,  improves  metabolism, 
180;  capacity  for,  204;  cure, 
in  neurasthenia,  419 ;  in  ner- 
vous disorders,  421 ;  in  rela- 
tion to  prayer,  483;  system 
in,  453- 

Worms  and  mind  cure,  308. 

Worries,  necessity  for  pinning 
down,  376. 

Worry,  caused  by  bad  breath- 
ing, 24;  caused  by  the  phys- 
ical state,  33;  in  relation  to 
consciousness,  74;  and  the 
fear  life,  108;  a  cause  of 
heart  disease,  118;  and  the 
circulation,  123;  and  blood- 
pressure,  135;  in  missionary 
work,  135 ;  a  cause  of  drink- 
ing, 137;  a  cause  of  anaemia, 
145;  a  hair  destroyer,  148; 
a  cause  of  death,  148;  ef- 
fects on  digestive  secretions, 
156,  161,  166,  205;  and  dys- 
pepsia, 167;  and  nutrition, 
174;  effects  on  goitre,  183; 
paralyzing  to  muscles,  198, 
202;  a  beauty  killer,  209; 
and   heat    prostration,   213; 


580 


INDEX 


Worry  —  continued 
a  cause  of  boils,  214;  and 
gray  hair,  214;  and  the  skin, 
215;  and  brain  circulation, 
221 ;  and  brain  rest,  222;  not 
neutralized  by  sleep,  223;  a 
cause  of  brain-fag,  224;  a 
cause  of  neurasthenia,  231, 
362;  and  nerve  starvation, 
234;  and  baldness,  234;  and 
paralysis,  237;  a  mind  des- 
troyer, 266 ;  disguised  as  dis- 
cretion, 281 ;  a  cause  of  high 
blood-pressure,  282;  the  fa- 
tigue of,  297;  a  happiness 
destroyer,  318;  the  Bible  on, 
327;  among  Christians,  332; 
nature  and  cause  of,  349; 
defined,  349 ;  a  form  of  fear, 
350;  psychology  of,  350; 
general  causes  of,  351 ;  and 
alcohol,  351;  due  to  hap- 
piness-hunger, 351 ;  over 
temperamental  peculiarities, 
352;  natural  causes  of,  354; 
over  trifles,  354;  the  growth 
of,  355;  enjoyed  by  some, 
355 ;  over  perverted  proverbs 
355;  circle,  the,  357;  and 
self -consciousness,  358;  and 
mental  work,  358;  a  cause 
of  infirmity,  360;  fictitious, 
361,  376;  and  hypochondria, 
362;  moral  causes  of,  362; 
and  religious  fanaticism, 
363 ;  physical  causes  of,  364 ; 
dependent  on  age,  364;  and 
health  fads,  365;  social 
causes  of,  366;  industrial 
causes  of,  367;  the  cure  of, 


371 ;  overcoming,  373 ;  cured 
by  self-control,  373 ;  fear,  the 
ancestor  of,  374;  not  cured 
by  resistance,  375;  cured  by 
trusting  nature,  377 ;  by  com- 
bating selfishness,  378 ;  cured 
by  children,  379;  religion 
and  prayer  in  the  cure  of 
380,  383;  delusion  of  drugs 
in,  381 ;  cured  by  improving 
health,  382;  physical  treat- 
ment of,  383 ;  and  fads,  383 ; 
removed  by  mental  sur- 
render, 399;  and  dreams, 
408;  in  relation  to  associa- 
tive memories,  409;  and 
complex  formation,  409; 
over  insomnia,  448;  pre- 
vented by  prayer,  477 ;  relig- 
ious, 485. 

Wounds,  healing,  and  the 
mind,  150. 

Writing,  automatic,  psychology 
of,  462. 

X 

X-ray,  observation  of  diges- 
tive movements,  166,  167;  of 
bowel  action,  171,  205;  and 
psychotherapy,  263. 


Yawning,     and     hiccoughing, 
193;  and  suggestion,  194. 


Zeal,    misguided,    results    of, 

363- 
Zodiac,    signs   of,    in   disease, 

86. 


I 


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